Gonzaga Baseball Stars Drafted Blood To Giants In Third Round; Indians Take Morgan In Seventh

Gonzaga University pitcher Darin Blood was selected for the first time while teammate Scott Morgan hopes the third time is a charm. Blood and Morgan were drafted in the first day of the June amateur draft on Thursday.

Blood, a Central Valley High School graduate from Post Falls, was selected in the third round by the San Francisco Giants. Morgan, from Lompoc, Calif., was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the seventh.

The Pac-10 North’s player of the year, Blood piled up one of the nation’s best pitching marks, going 13-3 with a 2.57 ERA as a junior. He added to his postseason honors Thursday by being selected a second-team All-American by Baseball America.

For Morgan, also a junior, his selection by the Indians marked the third time he had been drafted.

He was drafted out of Lompoc High and out of Allan Hancock JC in Santa Maria, Calif., by Milwaukee on both occasions.

“I thought I’d get drafted by either the Dodgers, Giants or Mariners this time,” Morgan said. “They were the teams that talked too me the most. But hey, I’ll go to Cleveland.”

Morgan batted .308 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs this season.

“I’m pumped,” he said. “The last two times I was drafted, I knew that I wasn’t ready for the professional level. I just feel much more comfortable with the physical and mental aspects of my game.”

Morgan, who moonlights as a forward for the GU basketball team, said he still doesn’t think he’s hit his full potential in baseball.

But whether he passes on his senior year at GU depends upon whether the Indians’ price is right.

“If things don’t work out, it’s nice to have the option to come back,” Morgan said.

Blood was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

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