Click through on more details of the Diamond Deacs' big day at the MLB Draft
Outfielder Mac Williamson was selected with the 115th overall pick by the San Francisco Giants. Williamson, who graduated in May, will undoubtedly forego his final season at Wake and turn pro. Williamson was the number one pitching prospect in the state of North Carolina coming out of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. He redshirted his freshman year before bursting onto the scene his sophomore year with seven home runs and 37 RBI's. This previous season, Williamson batted in the three spot for the majority of the year while playing right field and finished the season with an incredible 17 home runs and 52 RBI's.
Williamson is regarded as a legitimate five-tool prospect who will most likely be moved from the outfield in the majors. The big question will be if he is placed in the field so that his bat can be utilized or if he will move back to the long reliever position.
Pitcher Tim Cooney was selected just two picks after Williamson with the 117th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals. With the selection, Cooney and Williamson became the first two Deacs taken in the first three rounds of the draft since 2003 when Kyle Sleeth and Jamie D'Antona were taken in the first and third rounds respectively. Cooney has finished the 2012 season with a 6-7 record with a 3.82 ERA while striking out 90 batters in 99.0 innings.
Cooney has great command of the strike zone and is a guy who can hit 90 on the radar gun rather consistently. He was a solid Friday night starter for the Deacs throughout the 2012 season and is expected to sign with the Cardinals.
First and third baseman Carlos Lopez was snagged in the 12th round of the draft by the Washington Nationals with the 384th overall pick. Lopez can most likely play either position as he works his way up to the majors and will be a good utility guy to have on any roster. He batted cleanup behind Williamson for the entirety of the 2012 season and smacked 10 homers to go with 51 RBI's.
Lopez worked on his eye at the plate throughout his four years at Wake Forest, and it paid off as his senior year he saw his OBP increase to .412, primarily fueled by an increase in walks. Lopez hit 40 home runs in his four years at Wake and was the most consistent power hitter the Deacs had over his college years. Lopez will sign with the Nationals since he is a senior.
Left-handed pitcher Brian Holmes was drafted in the 13th round of the draft by the Houston Astros with the 399th overall pick. Holmes was the fourth player selected by the Deacons in the first 15 rounds, accounting for the second-highest total in the ACC over the course of the first two days of the MLB draft behind only Florida State (six). Holmes boasted a remarkable 2.83 ERA in his junior season en route to a 7-3 record on the mound. He was the consistent Sunday starter in the conference season and his consistency on the mound helped provide the Deacons with the tools they needed to finish in the top 40 of the RPI.
Holmes also threw a no-hitter against Marshall on March 5th, in all likelihood one of the biggest highlights of the season for the Diamond Deacons. Whether or not Holmes turns pro remains to be seen. He will in probably sign with the Astros, but is a guy whose signing bonus would likely increase if he came back one more year. I would garner he probably signs with the 'Stros.
The MLB Draft will resume tomorrow where more Deacons are likely to be drafted. The 2011-12 Wake Forest Season in Review will continue tomorrow, sorry for the delay just have real life things popping up that got in the way. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns just drop a line in the comments box as always! Go Deacs!