June 8, 2008 | LISLE, IL Given the results they were able to produce on the field, it should come as no surprise that the ’06 Dragons were loaded pro-caliber talent. That fact was recognized by the clubs of Major League Baseball this past week, as four members of that Dragons squad, along with another from the current team, were selected in the 1st Year Player Draft.
Outfielder/first baseman Ryne White, catcher Kevin Dubler, center fielder Dan Brewer, and right hander Ethan Hollingsworth were part of a Dragons team that went 25-19, good for 2nd place in the CICL standings and the Dragons’ best regular season to date.
White, a fourth-round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks, quickly established himself as a standout talent during his lone CICL campaign. A member of both the league’s mid- and postseason all-star teams, he was one of three players selected to share the Mike Schmidt MVP Award after posting a .329 average with 4 home runs, 11 doubles, and 28 runs batted in.
White finishes his career at Purdue University with school records in Big Ten play for batting average (.402), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.638), runs batted in (80), and total bases (208).
Dubler, the White Sox’s 8th round pick, attended Downers Grove South before traveling down I-55 to play for Redbirds of Illinois State University. The catcher batted .267 during his summer in Lisle, adding 4 home runs and 8 doubles along the way. Not only was Dubler selected to the midseason all-star team, but he captured the home run derby title while he was there.
As a junior, Dubler was one of twelve national semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award, which annually recognizes excellence in catching at the college level. He posted a .358 batting average, 9 home runs, and 56 runs batted in, all of which were team highs. He was the recipient of All-Missouri Valley Conference honors for the effort.
Brewer joined Dubler as an 8th round selection, going twenty picks later to the New York Yankees. While he played shortstop during his time as a Dragon, he patrolled center field this spring at Bradley University. He received All-Missouri Valley Conference honors after each of the last three seasons, including a first team selection this spring. Brewer batted .341 with 6 home runs and 15 doubles while starting all 53 games for the Braves in 2008.
Selected one pick before Ryne White in the 4th round, Hollingsworth became the highest draftee in Dragons history when he was taken 137th overall by the Colorado Rockies. The pitcher, a Plainfield South product, posted a 3.84 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 84.1 innings of work this spring as the #1 starter for the Broncos of Western Michigan University. He was no less impressive in his summer with the Dragons, going 5-2 with a 3.81 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 49.2 innings.
Also drafted was current Dragon Nate Pettus, a right-handed pitcher from Eastern Oklahoma State Community College. A 27th round selection of the Houston Astros, Pettus gave up a run in 2.1 innings Saturday night in his only appearance thusfar as a Dragon. Pettus was 6-1 with a 4.07 ERA at EOSCC this spring, striking out 43 over 42 innings pitched.
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