NEW YORK — Senior Ryan Hutson was drafted in the 36th round (1,092nd overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Mets on Wednesday.
Hutson, the 11th pick of the 36th round, became the 22nd player in the program's 20-year history to be drafted and third to be picked by the Mets (J.R. Voyles, 2006 34th round/Bubba Castaneda, 2000 26th round are the other two). He also is the 14th player to be drafted during head coach Sherman Corbett's 11-year tenure.
The Southland Conference third-team honoree led the Roadrunners with a .342 batting average (52-for-152), .625 slugging percentage, .426 on-base percentage and he tied for the squad lead with 10 home runs this spring. The Round Rock native also swatted 11 doubles and a triple to go along with 35 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
He became the program's all-time home run leader on May 21 against Central Arkansas after belting three bombs, including his 48th round-tripper in his final at-bat at Roadrunner Field. Hutson went on to earn Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA/Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week honors following his record-breaking performance.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder finished his career as one of the top hitters in school history.
Hutson ranks among UTSA's all-time top 10 in five offensive categories: home runs (48/first), runs scored (165/third), RBIs (153/fourth), hits (218/eighth) and batting average (.320/t-10th). He also recorded 411 total bases, which translated to a .604 slugging percentage. He was a three-time All-Southland selection, including first-team honors in 2010.
"I was really excited," Hutson said after learning he was drafted. "It's something I've always wanted to happen. Coach Corbett and the baseball program at UTSA got me to this point and I'm really grateful for that."
"It's a fitting end to a great career at UTSA," said Corbett, who now has seen 11 of his players drafted since 2005. "I'm excited for him. He's consistently been one of the top hitters in the Southland Conference over the last four seasons and I wish him the best as he pursues his career in professional baseball."
