June 11, 2010
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University baseball player Ryan Morrow was drafted in the 44th round of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves.
Morrow (Jr., Bulverde, Texas) was the 1332nd selection of the draft. Morrow is the first draftee for the Rattlers since Caleb Staudt was taken in the 39th round of the 2007 draft by the Washington Nationals. Morrow has one more year of eligibility at St. Mary’s and could elect to return to the school instead of moving on to the professional ranks.
Morrow was a three-year starter at catcher for the Rattlers, earning All-Heartland Conference recognition each of the last two years. In three years, he hit .343 with 28 doubles, 16 homeruns, 107 RBI and 106 run scored. He played in 135 games, making 134 starts behind the plate. Defensively, Morrow was one of the top catchers in the NCAA South Central Region. He made just 13 errors in 882 chances over the last three years for a .985 fielding percentage. He threw out 43 of 134 attempted base steals, but was especially good in 2010, throwing out 21 of 45.
Morrow’s best season as a Rattler was 2010, as he hit .366 with 14 doubles, 14 homeruns, 65 RBI and 55 runs scored. He also drew a school record 56 walks, the second highest total in the nation. He started all 59 games behind the plate for the Rattlers. He received first team All-Heartland Conference recognition and was the recipient of the first-ever Heartland Conference Gold Glove at catcher.
Morrow came to St. Mary’s from Smithson Valley High School, where he was an all-district player and helped lead SVHS to a state championship.
St. Mary’s finished the 2010 season with a 40-19 record and won the Heartland Conference regular season title. The Rattlers advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament in Warrensburg, Mo. St. Mary’s had nine student-athletes earn All-Heartland Conference honors, while Head Coach Charlie Migl earned Heartland Conference Coach of the Year recognition.