June 6, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State pitcher Justin Masterson, outfielder Quintin Berry and infielder Lance Zawadzki were selected by Major League clubs during day one of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday, June 6. All three players recently concluded their junior season at SDSU.
Masterson was chosen in the second round by Boston, the earliest selection of an Aztec since pitcher Royce Ring went in the first round in 2002. With Berry being selected in the fifth round by Philadelphia, the total number of Aztecs to go in the first six rounds over the past seven years now stands at 10. Zawadzki was taken in the 15th round by St. Louis.
A junior from Beavercreek, Ohio, Masterson was an honorable mention all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2006, his first season as an Aztec. He went 4-2 with a 4.72 earned run average in league play. Over the course of the year, he made 17 appearances (16 starts), compiling a mark of 6-7 with one save and a 4.81 ERA. He struck out 108 and walked only 26 over his 166 innings. His strikeout total was the third-most ever in a season by an Aztec hurler.
Berry came to SDSU in 2005, earning all-West Region honors after batting .419 in his first season of Division I ball. During the 2006 campaign, he hit .335 and led the team with 61 runs scored and 32 stolen bases while earning second-team all-MWC accolades. His .376 career average ranks second at SDSU for players with a minimum of 450 at bats.
Zawadzki has been San Diego State's starter at second base (2004), third base (2005) and shortstop (2006) during his three seasons at San Diego State. He was a first-team all-conference selection as a sophomore when he batted .335 with 10 home runs. His career average stands at .293 and his 16 career homers ranks among the Aztec career top 20.
A total of 18 rounds of player selections were completed by the 30 Major League teams on Tuesday with rounds 19 through 50 scheduled to be held on Wednesday (June 7) starting at 9:00 a.m. (PDT).