Knutson, Miller Drafted on Saturday

Lincoln – After junior outfielder Ryan Boldt was taken 53rd overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round of the MLB Draft on Thursday night, two more Husker juniors were taken on day three of the Draft on Saturday. Left-handed pitcher Max Knutson was picked by the Baltimore Orioles in the 12th round, while first baseman Ben Miller was taken in the 32nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Knutson is the highest drafted Husker pitcher since Michael Mariot was taken in the eighth round of the 2010 Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

The last time the Huskers had three juniors taken in the Draft was 2012, when Travis Huber (23rd - Twins), Richard Stock (23rd - Indians) and Chad Christensen (35th - Marlins) were all selected. Huber and Stock signed professional contracts, while Christensen returned for his senior season and improved his draft stock 10 rounds, selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 25th round of the 2013 Draft

Knutson saw the majority of his work out of the bullpen during the past three seasons, but did turn into a midweek starter late in the 2016 season. Knutson’s last four appearances of 2016 were all starts and the Huskers won each game, including a career-high 8.0-inning, five strikeout performance against Omaha. A native of Arden Hills, Minn., Knutson produced a career ERA of 3.79 in 61.2 innings over 33 appearances. The left hander recorded 51 career strikeouts, including 34 this season.

Miller was the next Husker to see is name come off the board when he was taken in the 32nd round, marking the first time he has been drafted. Miller was one of three Huskers to hit over .300 in 2016, posting a career-best .317 batting average. Miller led the Huskers in hits (77) and doubles (16), while ranking second in home runs (6) and RBIs (46), all were career highs for the Clive, Iowa, native. In his first three seasons, Miller has been a .303 hitter with 174 hits, 30 doubles, 12 home runs and 99 RBIs.