Whittier College third baseman Julian Barzilli was selected in the 31st round (No. 945 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft earlier this month.
As a Poet, Barzilli received numerous accolades for his standout performance during the season. Among them, was recognition as Purple and Gold Male Team Sport Athlete of the Year and American Baseball Coaches Association’s (ABCA) All-West Region Player of the Year. The kinesiology major was also named to the ABCA’s 1st All-West Regional team and the 1st All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team.
A Los Angeles native, Barzilli was the Poet’s cleanup batter all season long and produced a .375 batting average from 36 hits, which included six doubles, a triple, and a SCIAC leading 15 homeruns, while walking 24 times. He had 15 multi-hit games, collecting three hits three times, and four hits twice. He drove in 35 runs and scored 39 after stealing two bases. And, he had 22 extra base hits and 89 total bases and defensively at third base converted on 84 total outs with 23 putouts and 56 assists and was part of seven double plays this spring in SCIAC games.
Barzilli becomes the 7th Poet drafted in program history since 1965 and is the highest selection since Tony Woods who was chosen by the Chicago Cubs as the 17th overall pick as a shortstop in the first round of the 1982 draft.
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Story by Lance Franey '09
