The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Naile Selected by Oakland in 20th Round of MLB Draft
6/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB baseball redshirt junior pitcher James Naile was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 20th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Wednesday.
Naile was the 608th pick overall, and is the second Blazer to be taken in this year's draft after Alex Luna was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the 10th round on Tuesday.
"I'm very honored for this opportunity," Naile said. "This has been a lifelong dream. God has given me so much to be grateful for. I am so thankful for Coach Shoop, Coach Hopper and Coach Roth for giving me the opportunity to play. I'm also thankful for my teammates and friends from over the years who have helped me in so many ways. This is truly a special moment I will never forget."
The Charleston, Mo. native had a stellar comeback season from tommy john surgery last year. He posted 10 wins, tying the UAB single-season record, with a 2.63 ERA. Naile was just named to the 2015 ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Second Team on Wednesday, becoming the third player in program history to earn all-region accolades.
Naile recorded 10 quality starts in 2015 in 16 tries, allowing one earned run or less in nine outings. He held opposing hitters to a .196 batting average, and ranks No. 2 in UAB history in career ERA (3.28) and fourth in wins (17).
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