SECAUCUS, N.J. - Senior pither Taylor Henry of Centenary College was take in the 21st Round (Pick 629) of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are very happy and couldn’t be more proud of Taylor,” said Centenary head coach Mike Diaz. “Not only was he one of the best pitchers on our staff, he was one of the hardest workers on the baseball team these past four years.”
“I am thrilled for Taylor that he will be able to continue his dream of playing professional baseball,” added Diaz.
Henry becomes the 14th player in SCAC history to be taken in the MLB Draft and his selection marks the second consecutive year the league has had a player selected as Kyle Simmons of Texas Lutheran University was drafted by the Washington Nationals a season ago. With Henry's selection, the SCAC has now had a player selected in the MLB Draft four of the last five seasons and five of the last seven years. Henry is the first player from Centenary to be taken in the Draft in their Division III era. Henry is the fifth-highest selection in SCAC history.
A D3Baseball.com All-American in 2015, Henry had quite the year. In 24 appearances on the mound, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year led the SCAC in both saves (nine, 15th in the nation) and strikeouts (85, 21st in the nation). He finished second in the conference and 28th in the nation in ERA (1.59) while finishing seventh in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.3).
Other honors for Henry this season include selection for the D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-West Regional Team as well as being named the D3baseball.com West Regional Pitcher of the Year. These awards capped off a notable career for Henry, who made 79 appearances and finished with an 18-13 record with 17 saves, two complete games and 202 strikeouts in 217.2 innings pitched in four seasons. He is the Centenary career leader in saves and stands fourth in both wins and strikeouts while ranking eighth in innings pitched.
Henry helped lead Centenary to its second SCAC regular-season title in three seasons and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. The Gents finished the 2015 campaign 24-17 overall and 15-3 in SCAC play.
The Mets are currently 31-29 and sit in second place in the NL East. Their affiliations include the Las Vegas 51s (AAA), the Binghamton Mets (AA), the St. Lucie Mets (FSL), the Savannah Sand Gnats (SAL), the Brooklyn Cyclones (NYP), and the Kingsport Mets (APP). It is the first time the Mets have taken someone from the SCAC.
| SCAC Major League Baseball Draft Picks (Since 1987) | ||||
| Player | School | Round | Team | Year |
| Peter Austin | Millsaps | 40th (#1202 overall) | Pittsburgh | 1997 |
| Matt Blanton | Hendrix | 23rd (#695 overall) | St. Louis | 2003 |
| Jason Armstrong | Trinity (Texas) | 25th (#747 overall) | Toronto | 2004 |
| Garner Wetzel | Millsaps | 10th (#297 overall) | Colorado | 2005 |
| Garner Wetzel | Millsaps | 18th (#543 overall) | San Diego | 2006 |
| Nick Vera | Trinity (Texas) | 32nd (#981 overall) | St. Louis | 2007 |
| Evan Bronson | Trinity (Texas) | 36th (#1,088 overall) | Milwaukee | 2008 |
| Evan Bronson | Trinity (Texas) | 29th (#862 overall) | Washington | 2009 |
| Daniel Sarisky | Oglethorpe | 40th (#1,211 overall) | Houston | 2009 |
| Drew Leachman | Birmingham-Southern | 37th (#1,138 overall) | Minnesota | 2011 |
| Bruce Maxwell | Birmingham-Southern | 2nd (#62 overall) | Oakland | 2012 |
| Ben Klimesh | Trinity (Texas) | 15th (#472 overall) | Cincinnati | 2012 |
| Kyle Simmons | Texas Lutheran | 24th (#724 overall) | Washington | 2014 |
| Taylor Henry | Centenary | 21st (#629 overall) | New York (NL) | 2015 |
