SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State baseball program had three more players taken in the 2021 MLB Draft on Tuesday, giving the Aztecs five picks overall this year and 26 selections since 2015.
Matt Rudick was the first SDSU competitor chosen on the final day of the draft, as the New York Mets grabbed the Aztec center fielder in the 13th round (382nd overall), while right fielder Jaden Fein was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 15th round (443rd overall), followed by right-handed pitcher Michael Paredes, who was snapped up by the Minnesota Twins in the 18th round (549th overall).
With their selections, Rudick, Fein and Paredes give the Aztecs 223 MLB Draft picks since 1965 after teammates Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie were chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth and seventh rounds on Monday, respectively. In addition, SDSU has had multiple players selected in each of the last five years and eight of the last nine overall.
San Diego State's five picks were also the most by a Mountain West school this year after Fresno State and New Mexico had two apiece, followed by Nevada, San José State and UNLV with one each.
Like Jarvis and Hendrie, Rudick and Fein were vital components of the Aztecs' well-balanced and potent offense that finished the 2021 campaign ranked second in the nation with a .335 team batting average and third with an average of 9.1 runs per game. In addition, Paredes was one of the mainstays of the SDSU rotation, leading the Aztecs with 77.1 innings pitched.
In 2021, Rudick enjoyed his finest season as a collegian, earning third-team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) to go with second-team all-West Region recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The SDSU redshirt junior also garnered all-Mountain West accolades for the third straight year after receiving first-team distinction.
Rudick reached base in all 43 games he made a plate appearance, leading the Aztecs with career-highs in batting average (.410), runs scored (61), triples (4), stolen bases (17) and on-base percentage (.484). In addition, the San Diego native and Scripps Ranch High alumnus recorded personal bests in home runs (4), RBIs (41) and slugging percentage (.567) and was the most difficult player in the country to strike out for the second straight year, fanning once every 19.8 at-bats.
Rudick led the Mountain West in runs scored and stolen bases and finished among the conference leaders in triples (2nd), batting average (4th), hits (5th – 73), walks (T-5th – 26), on-base percentage (6th) and RBIs (T-10th). On the national stage, he ranked third in the country in runs per game (1.39), eighth in hits per game (1.66) and 11th in batting average.
Fein enjoyed a spectacular 2021 campaign as well, receiving second-team all-Mountain West recognition after hitting .389 with four home runs and 53 RBIs. The SDSU redshirt sophomore also landed on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List while earning a spot on the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger of the Year Watch List.
In addition, Fein found himself among the MW leaders in several categories, including RBIs (2nd), hits (4th – 74th), doubles (4th – 19), runs scored (5th – 47), stolen bases (T-6th – 8), batting average (8th) and on-base percentage (10th - .456). The Simi Valley, California, native also ranked 16th in the country with 1.61 hits per game,18th with 0.41 doubles per contest and 29th with 19 doubles overall.
During the season, Fein became the first non-pitcher in league history to garner four MW Player of the Week accolades in the same year. He shared the team lead with multiple RBIs in 15 games and tied for the third on the squad with multiple hits in 21 outings, including three or more in 11 games.
Paredes, meanwhile, earned second-team all-Mountain West honors for the first time in his career after receiving second-team recognition in 2021. The Aztec right hander posted a 4-0 record with a 5.59 ERA and 65 strikeouts this past season. He ranked second in the league with 77.1 innings pitched and third in strikeouts while finishing among the conference leaders in opposing batting average (6th – .271), ERA (8th) and wins (T-10th).
Recording wins in three straight starts earlier this spring, Paredes threw a season-high eight innings against UNLV on March 13 before tying his career-best with nine strikeouts vs. Air Force in 7.2 innings on March 20. The Aztec right-hander followed those stints with another triumph at San José State, where he yielded three runs against five strikeouts in six innings of work. Paredes later broke a victory drought at Air Force on May 22, when he gave up two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six in six innings, as the Scarlet and Black rolled to a 17-3 run-rule triumph.
San Diego State finished the 2021 season with a 30-16 overall record and a second-place mark of 22-14 in Mountain West play. The Aztecs claimed series victories in 12 of 15 weeks and were the only conference team to play all 36 games on its original MW schedule