Youngstown State's Justin Thomas Drafted In Fourth Round By Seattle Mariners

June 7, 2005

Youngstown, Ohio - Youngstown State junior pitcher Justin Thomas was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round as the 113th overall pick in Tuesday's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Thomas, a 6-foot-3-inch lefty from Oregon, Ohio, was the third pick in the fourth round and is the first Penguin chosen in the draft since Matt Brumit was selected by the New York Yankees in the 44th round in 2002. His fourth round selection is also the third-highest in school history behind Brad Hennessey (first round, 2001) and Chris Durkin (third round, 1991).

"Justin's just been a great player and person for us," YSU head coach Mike Florak said. "He and his family have meant a lot to the program, and it's a happy day for everyone involved."

"He's going to keep getting better and better. He's got a very good fastball and slider, but what separates him is his competitiveness. He does whatever it takes to win," Florak said.

In just three years at YSU, Thomas set himself apart as one of the top pitchers in school history. He leaves ranked second all-time in career strikeouts with 250 - one behind former Major Leaguer Dave Dravecky - and third in career starts with 36 and career innings pitched with 253 1/3. He is also ranked sixth all-time in career victories with 19, and he was the first pitcher in school history to earn seven wins in consecutive seasons. His 14 starts as both a sophomore and a junior set the school record, and he set the school mark in innings pitched in a season with 93 1/3 in 2004.

As a junior, he was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Year after posting a 7-5 record with a 3.42 ERA and a career-high 88 strikeou ts. He was dominant in League contests, posting a 3-1 mark with a 2.00 ERA. In his three conference wins against Cleveland State, Wright State and UW-Milwaukee, he allowed a total of one earned run in 27 innings for an ERA of 0.33. He also struck out 33 hitters in those 27 innings. He was also named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week twice and was named to the Collegiate Baseball Foundation's National Honor Roll three times.

In his sophomore campaign, he finished 7-3 and struck out 82 hitters in 93 1/3 innings to be named Second-Team All-Horizon League. He earned the win against Butler in the first round of the Horizon League Championship and later started against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in Youngstown State's first-ever game in the Division I NCAA Tournament.

Thomas is the fifth player to be drafted in Florak's seven years at the helm of the Penguins. In addition to Hennessey and Brumit, Mike Abdalla was chosen in the 40th round by Kansas City in 2000, and Mark Thomas was taken in the 21st round by Montreal in 1999.