MLB.com | Draft Central | Draft Order | @MLBDraft (Twitter) | MLB Draft Tracker | Travis Bergen (Bio) | Kal Simmons (Bio)

KENNESAW, Ga. – A pair of Kennesaw State baseball players were selected 14 picks apart in the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday afternoon, marking the eighth consecutive year at least one member of the KSU program got picked in the annual draft.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Travis Bergen with the 212^th overall pick in the seventh round of the draft, while the Arizona Diamondbacks took Kal Simmons 226^th overall with the first pick in the eighth round.

Bergen, a 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference First Team All-Conference selection and a two-time A-Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week as a junior, put together a strong year on the mound for the Owls. He started in 14 games on the hill, leading the team with six wins and a career-high 100 innings of work –which also led the Atlantic Sun Conference in innings pitched. The left-handed junior, who hails from McDonough, Georgia, compiled 84 punch outs and totaled 10 starts of 7.0 innings or more with a career-best two complete games.  

The lefthander will join former Owl standouts Max Pentecost and Chad Jenkins in Toronto. Pentecost, the 2014 Johnny Bench Award Winner and a First Team All-American, was selected in the first round (11^th overall), making him the highest KSU player to ever be drafted in 2014, while Jenkins went in the first round (20^th overall) in the 2009 MLB Draft.  

Coming into the draft he was ranked the 150^th best prospect according to MLB.com. Bergen was also named the 2014 Tallahassee Regional Most Outstanding Player and Tallahassee Regional All-Tournament Team as the Owls became the first NCAA Division I team in 21 years to win a regional tournament in its playoff debut last June.

Simmons, a junior shortstop standout under head coach Mike Sansing, , proved to be the main catalyst in the middle of the diamond for the Owls, starting in 55 of the possible 56 games at shortstop. He totaled a career-high 10 home runs and a .269 batting average, ranking second on the team with 57 hits. Simmons also stole 15 bases on 19 attempts, ranking first on the Owls in 2015. Defensively, the Nashville, Georgia native compiled 102 putouts and 157 assists for a .932 fielding percentage.

In all, Simmons totaled a .276 batting average in 169 games while compiling 183 hits, 23 doubles, 1 triple and 11 home runs, knocking home 88 RBI at the plate. He also totaled 68 walks and 22 stolen bases in his three-year stint at KSU.

For his career, Simmons compiled several accolades during his three seasons with the Owls. He was a 2014 Atlantic Sun Second Team All-Conference selection, while named a 2013 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and a unanimous selection to the 2013 A-Sun All-Freshmen Team. Simmons also played a major role last June, helping Kennesaw State become the first NCAA Division I team in 21 years to win a regional tournament in its playoff debut last June.

The shortstop will join former KSU standout Ronnie Freeman in Arizona, who was selected by Diamondbacks in the fifth round (183^rd overall) in the 2012 draft. Freeman is currently playing for the Mobile Baybears, a Double-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. In 2015, Freeman is batting .301 in 29 games. He has compiled 23 hits, three doubles and eight RBI. In fact, Freeman has compiled a .267 batting average, 46 doubles, one triple and five home runs in 220 minor league games since being drafted.

The two Owls become the 57^th and 58^th Kennesaw State baseball players to be selected in the MLB Draft in 32 years of the program's existence.

You can continue to follow the 2015 MLB Draft by CLICKING HERE with a live tracker of every pick.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.


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To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter@KSUOwlNation and@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.