June 7, 2005
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech shortstop Tyler Greene, pitcher Jason Neighborgall and outfielder Jeremy Slayden were selected on the first day of the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday.
Outfielder Steven Blackwood and catcher Andy Hawranick were selected on day two of the draft.
Greene, the 30th overall pick to the St. Louis Cardinals, is the sixth Georgia Tech player selected in the first round of the MLB draft, joining Kevin Brown (1986), Ty Griffin (1988), Jason Varitek (1994), Nomar Garciaparra (1994) and Mark Teixeira (2001). A first-team All-America selection in 2005, Greene is batting .370 with 12 home runs, 72 RBI and 30 stolen bases this season. Greene was a second round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2002 before coming to Georgia Tech.
Neighborgall was selected with the first pick in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. A seventh round draft pick out of high school, Neighborgall is 8-4 with 114 strikeouts in 100.2 career innings pitched at Georgia Tech.
Slayden was taken in the eighth round by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 247th overall selection. The outfielder is batting .361 with a team-leading 13 home runs in 2005 and ranks eighth in school history with 40 career home runs. Slayden was drafted for the third time in his career, after being selected in the 20th round by the San Diego Padres in 2002 and in the 18th round by the Oakland Athletics in 2004.
Blackwood was selected in the 26th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Undrafted out of high school, Blackwood earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2005, batting .340 with 65 RBI.
Hawranick was drafted in the 48th round by the Chicago Cubs, and is batting .298 with four home runs in 2005.
Georgia Tech Players in the DraftPlayer Class Pos. Round/Pick TeamTyler Greene Jr. SS 1st/30 CardinalsJason Neighborgall Jr. RHP 3rd/81 DiamondbacksJeremy Slayden Jr. OF 8th/247 PhilliesSteven Blackwood Jr. OF 26th/800 CardinalsAndy Hawranick Jr. C 48th/1440 Cubs
Georgia Tech Signees in the Draft Player Pos. Round/Pick Team Austin Jackson OF 8th/259 Yankees David Duncan LHP 14th/435 Twins Chris Hicks RHP 35th/1059 Rangers
