Waterloo, Iowa – Four former Waterloo Bucks players heard their name called on the second day of the 2014 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft on Friday.  Jordan Foley, Taylor Byrd, Reed Reilly, and John Ziznewski were all taken between rounds five and eight.

The first former Waterloo player selected in the 2014 MLB Draft was right-handed pitcher Jordan Foley.  Foley was taken in the 5^th round with the 152^nd pick by the New York Yankees.  A product of Central Michigan University, Foley appeared in 11 games for the Bucks in 2012, starting 10.  Foley finished the year with a 4-3 record and a 6.23 ERA with one save and 32 strikeouts.  This season for the Chippewas, Foley went 6-5 with a 3.69 earned run average.

With the 201^st overall pick (7^th round), the Seattle Mariners selected left-handed pitcher Taylor Byrd.  A product of Nicholls State University, Byrd pitched for the Bucks in 2013, appearing in six games and finishing the year with a 1-2 record and 21 strikeouts to go with a 6.04 ERA.  This season for the Colonels, Byrd was named the Southland Conference’s top pitcher as well as first-team after finishing the year with an 8-3 record, posting a 1.92 ERA with 80 strikeouts.

The third former Buck selected in the draft was right-handed pitcher Reed Reilly who was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 7^th round with the 224^th overall pick.  Reilly played with Waterloo in 2012, appearing in four games and finishing the year with six strikeouts and a 16.20 ERA.  A product of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Reilly is a three-time first-team All-Big West Conference honoree, earning 12 saves this season, two shy of his own all-time school record set last year, and 27 in his Mustang career, shattering the school mark.  He posted a 3-1 record and 1.671 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings this season.

John Ziznewski, a shortstop from Long Island University-Brooklyn, was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 8^th round.  Ziznewski, selected 228^th overall, played with the Bucks in 2013, hitting .343 with four home runs, 40 RBI, and nine stolen bases.  This season for the Blackbirds, Ziznewski led the Northeast Conference in five offensive categories, including hits (72), home runs (9), runs batted in (55), slugging percentage (.589) and total bases (116).

The 2014 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft continues today with rounds 11 through 40.

The Bucks finish up their four-game road trip with a 6:05 pm tilt versus the Kalamazoo Growlers tonight.  Waterloo will return home to begin a four-game homestand on Sunday, June 8.  The first game of the homestand is a 3:35 pm start versus the Eau Claire Express.  For more information, call the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633.  All 72 games may be heard on 1330 AM ESPN (KWLO).  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21stseason of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com.