Five Huskers Sign Professional Contracts

Lincoln ? Five members of the 2007 Nebraska baseball team have signed with Major League teams and are in the process of beginning their professional careers.  Pitchers Drew Bowman, Matt Foust, Tony Watson and Luke Wertz and first baseman Andrew Brown were among the eight Huskers recently selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

A fifth-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds, Bowman is playing for the Billings Mustangs in the Class A Pioneer League. Bowman spent one season at Nebraska and compiled a 4-1 record and a 4.31 ERA in 14 games this season, posting a 30-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 39.2 innings of work.

Foust and Watson have begun their professional careers together, as they are both pitching for the State College Spikes, the short-season Class A team for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Foust, a sixth-round pick of the Pirates, spent four seasons at Nebraska and put together his best season in 2007, going 2-4 with seven saves and a 4.02 ERA in a team-best 27 appearances.

Watson, a ninth-round pick of the Pirates after a distinguished three-year career at Nebraska, compiled a 22-7 record as a Husker and finished on NU’s top-10 career lists in wins (sixth), innings pitched (244.0, 10th) and starts (35, 10th). Watson sparkled in his professional debut last night, tossing five innings of no-hit ball with a franchise record nine strikeouts, but lost a 3-2 decision to Williamsport.

Wertz, a 13th-round pick by Philadelphia, began his pro career close to his hopeful destination, as he was assigned to Williamsport in the New York-Penn League. Wertz, who went 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 60.1 innings of work last spring, out-dueled Watson in his pro debut Thursday, as he went the final two innings to collect his first professional win, a 3-2 win by Williamsport over State College.

Brown is the third former Husker assigned to the New York-Penn League, as he began his professional career with Batavia in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. An honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick after hitting .329 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs, Brown drove in two runs in his pro debut on Tuesday before going 2-for-5 and scoring twice on Wednesday. Brown was taken in the 18th round by the Cardinals, an organization that also features former Husker closer Mike Sillman in Triple-A and former teammates Brandon Buckman, who was promoted to High A ball this week, and Luke Gorsett.

Edlefsen, who started his Husker career as an infielder before moving to the mound this spring, will begin his pro career on the mound with Salem-Keizer in the Pioneer League. Edlefsen went 0-1 with four saves and a 4.10 ERA in 23 appearances, ranking second on the squad in saves and holding foes to a .226 batting average.