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Holt/Rice Sports Information
He sounded ready to explore new adventures on the other end with nothing but excitement in his voice. Former Rice Owls infielder Brock Holt is a pro now. And with his life about to change completely, he's sounds ready for the challenge.
Holt was the first Rice player taken in the 2009 MLB Draft June 10th and 11th. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates on the first day. Holt was thrilled when he found out he had been drafted. Although, it wasn't through traditional means, getting the word---was getting the word.
"I'd been on the phone all morning talking to different teams and they were telling me what to expect and what not. And, I ended up watching through about the 6th round and I got hungry. Me and my roommate were hungry. So, we decided to go get something to eat."
"And right as I left the apartment---actually, Steven Sultzbaugh called me and he goes "hey man---congratulations!" I was like---hey---thanks man! I didn't even see my name go across or get called or whatever. I was just hungry. So, I was going to eat. He called and told me congratulations as I was talking to him. He,(Sultzbaugh), told me I went in the ninth, (round), by the Pirates and then right when he told me that, the guy, (Trevor Haley), from the Pirates was calling me on the other line."
These guys can play!
Five Rice Owl draft-eligible players were selected by the major league teams---Berry/Orioles---Ojala/Brewers---Sultzbaugh/Brewers---Seastrunk/Giants and Holt/Pirates. Holt says his teammates have special talents. "That says a lot. I mean five guys get drafted. But, you could add a whole lot more than that. (Some guys) were not draft-eligible. It's just, the coaching staff with Coach Pierce and Hallmark and (Coach) T and Coach Graham have all done a great job---T and Pierce especially with recruiting in getting quality players in here."
"Rice is a tough place to recruit to because not only do you have to be able to play for Rice. But you gotta be able to take care of your school work too. And it's a tough place to be able to recruit to and they do a great job of getting top caliber players and people that step in a do a good job. Like (Anthony) Rendon, (who suffered the ankle injury on HIS BIRTHDAY). I don't think Rendon was recruited very highly by most schools. That might have been because they thought he was gonna go in the draft or whatever."
"But, Rice Baseball is in a great spot right now with those guys and hopefully it continues to build and build and they get another championship in the next couple of years hopefully." Sounds like goodbye for now---doesn't it? It is.
Time to move forward---TODAY!
Holt's business must be handled now since he has been drafted and today is a dream come true sort of day. "Trevor Haley is coming up to Stephenville (Thursday/today) and I'm gonna go ahead and sign and be on a plane on Friday morning headed up to State College, Pa., to start playing. So, I decided to go ahead and take the offer. You know I was fortunate to go play for Coach Graham and Coach T, (Taylor), who recruited me."
"I thank those guys for everything they did for me this past year in giving me a chance to play for a program like that. I just decided that it's my time to go and try my luck in professional ball and hopefully it works out. So, I'm gonna go up there and plan on working hard to try to get to the big leagues."
Holt will be playing "rookie ball" with a team called the Spikes. He will be in State College from Friday, June 19, 2009 until the end of the season in September. "There's a rookie league up there in the New York Penn League. So, I'll be going up there and playing this summer to try and get as many bats as I can and get accustomed to the wood bats." He will work defensively at second base.
Holt says after September, he will probably head to the instructional league at the Pirates facility in Bradenton, Florida. Post the instructional league, home is where the heart wants to be. "I'm hoping to, during the off-season, go back down to Rice and hang out with the guys and work out with some of them."
Plan to finish school!
"I plan on finishing---I don't know when. I'm gonna try to squeeze in some classes if I have time and try to get my degree. And that way I'll have something to fall back on if the whole baseball thing doesn't work out." Holt is a sports medicine major.
Speaking of Majors, I expect to eventually see Holt---in the Majors!
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We will track the progress of Brock Holt and the other drafted players along with current Rice Owls. Also, follow us on twitter and check out the blog at www.nateatwork.blogspot.com. Leave your comments.
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See this story from Examiner Sportswriter, Fred Faour.
He tells us to stop being hypocritical about baseball and PED's in light of the Sammy Sosa story.
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