ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For the fourth time in the University of New Mexico baseball program’s history, UNM had two players selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft as Luis Gonzalez became the fourth-highest selection in UNM history when he was taken in the third round (87th overall) by the Chicago White Sox while Jack Zoellner was taken in the ninth round (263rd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Gonzalez is the second-highest selection for the Lobos in the last 30 years, the highest draft pick since DJ Peterson was selected 12th overall in the 2013 draft and only Peterson, Kevin Andersh (15th pick, 1984) and Jim Fregosi (42nd pick, 1985) have been selected higher in UNM history.
Gonzalez hit .361 in 2017 for the Lobos with eight home runs, 22 doubles (led team), 42 RBI, 62 runs and a team-best 14 stolen bases in 55 games. He set a school record and is in the top five in the nation with 58 walks, helping him become the 12th player in UNM history to finish with a .500 or better on-base percentage in a season (finished the season with exactly a .500 on-base percentage).
In his three-year career (155 games) at UNM, Gonzalez hit .356 with 18 home runs, 54 doubles, eight triples, 113 RBI, 153 runs and 35 stolen bases. His 124 career walks rank fourth on the UNM all-time list.
While likely drafted for his quick bat and defensive prowess in center field, the lefty Gonzalez also pitched for the Lobos – going 11-6 with a 6.13 ERA in his career with 74 strikeouts in 127.2 innings of work. His versatility landed him on the semifinal watch list for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award.
While on the topic of awards, Zoellner was named the Tony Gwynn Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West this season after hitting .368 with 12 home runs, 19 doubles, 56 RBI and 50 runs while playing a stellar first base for UNM. The senior, who had his season cut short at 50 games due to injury, led the Lobos with a .663 slugging percentage and walked (37) more than he struck out (26).
It capped a four-year career for Zoellner that left him in the all-time UNM top 10 in numerous categories, including games played (211 – 9th), runs (177 – 10th), doubles (61 – 8th), walks (117 – 5th) and putouts (1,854 – 2nd). The left-handed hitting Zoellner finished his Lobo career hitting .333 (he hit better than .300 in all four years) with 26 home runs and 151 RBI.
Gonzalez and Zoellner are the 85th and 86th players in Lobo history to be drafted and the 31st and 32nd under 10th-year coach Ray Birmingham. They are the 19th and 20th players to be selected in the top 10 rounds. The last time UNM had multiple players selected in the first 10 rounds was 2013 when Peterson (1st round), Sam Wolff (sixth round) and Mitch Garver (ninth round) were taken in a draft that saw a record seven Lobos taken. The other two times were in 1985 (Fregosi in the second round, Rod Nichols in the fifth round and Bret Davis in the ninth round) and 1980 (Keith Hagman in the seventh round and Duffy Ryan in the eighth round).
The MLB Draft concludes 10 a.m. Wednesday with rounds 11-40.
Gonzalez, Zoellner taken in top 10 rounds of MLB draft
