Wave's Star Hitter Ponders the Pros
The Tulane baseball program added another draft pick to the already impressive list of players that have gone on to play professional baseball, as Rob Segedin was selected by the New York Yankees with the 112th pick in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft.
Tulane infielder and redshirt-sophomore Rob Segedin has to choose whether to return to Tulane this fall or sign a professional contract. (Photo by Parker Waters)
Senior pitcher Preston Claiborne was picked in the 17th round, also by the Yankees, while Covington High School pitcher Randy LeBlanc, who committed to the Green Wave, was chosen in the 16th round by the Florida Marlins.
Segedin, a redshirt-sophomore, had one of the most prolific seasons at the plate in Green Wave history, batting .434 with 14 home runs, 54 RBIs and 33 walks. He led Conference USA with 29 doubles.
Along with pacing the club in those categories, the Old Tappan, N.J., native also led the Green Wave in hits (92), runs scored (55) and total bases (167). His batting average ranks second on the single-season charts, while he is tied for second in doubles and third in both slugging and on-base percentage.
Under head coach Rick Jones, the program has seen 44 players selected in the draft, including at least one player in each of the last 15 drafts.
Segedin earned Freshman All-American honors in 2008, along with Second Team All-American honors from Rivals.com, and was a First Team All-Conference USA selection this season.
Off the field, Segedin was named a Third Team Academic All-American, First Team All-District Selection and Academic All-Conference USA selection. He was a member of the Tulane 3.0 Club during each of his three years on campus and earned a spot on the Conference USA Commissioners Honor Roll each year.
He was the 2008-09 Tulane Student-Athlete of the Year and carried a 3.796 GPA as a double-major in finance and business management.
