Waterloo, Iowa – Three current and five former Waterloo Bucks were drafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, which was held over the past three days.  Current Bucks Korry Howell, Jared Finkel, and Jordyn Muffley were all selected between rounds 19 and 24, while former Waterloo standouts Zack Soria, Tyler Day, Tyler Curtis, Zach Jarrett, and Frank Rubio all heard their names called on the third day of the Draft.

The first former Waterloo player selected in the 2017 MLB Draft was catcher Zack Soria.  Soria was taken in the 18^th round with the 530^th pick by the Atlanta Braves.  A product of Florida International University, Soria played for the Bucks from 2014 to 2016.  Soria finished his Bucks career hitting .271 with 43 RBI and 9 stolen bases.

With the 559^th overall pick (19^th round), the Tampa Bay Rays selected right-handed pitcher Tyler Day.  A product of Colorado Mesa University, Day pitched for the Bucks in 2015, finishing with a 2-5 record and a 4.18 ERA.  Day started 12 games that season, striking out 44 while walking just 20.

Current Waterloo shortstop Korry Howell was the first player on the 2017 Bucks roster to be selected in the Draft.  Howell, who attends Kirkwood Community College, was taken in the 19^th round with the 570^th pick by the Kansas City Royals.  The Lockport, Illinois native is currently hitting .298 for Waterloo with 5 RBI.  Howell ranks second in the Northwoods League in stolen bases with 13.

Jared Finkel heard his name called in the 23^rd round as the Minnesota Twins selected the righted-handed pitcher 676^th overall.  Finkel, an Iona College product, has yet to report to Waterloo after finishing his collegiate season with a 1-0 record, a 1.41 ERA, and 23 strikeouts with 11 saves.

The next former Waterloo player selected in the 2017 MLB Draft was third baseman Tyler Curtis.  Curtis was taken in the 23^rd round with the 689^th pick by the Miami Marlins.  A product of Lynn University, Curtis played for the Bucks in 2016.  Curtis hit .278 with 2 home runs, 28 RBI, and 4 stolen bases for Waterloo.  He is tied for sixth in the team’s single-season record books for both games played (65) and at bats (248).

With the 709^th overall pick (24^th round), the Tampa Bay Rays selected current Bucks catcher Jordyn Muffley.  A product of Parkland College, Muffley recently reported to Waterloo in time to see action in the team’s last game, going 1-for-3 for a .333 season batting average.  Muffley is a native of Portage, Michigan.

Zach Jarrett heard his name called in the 28^th round as the Baltimore Orioles selected the outfielder 848^th overall.  Jarrett, a University of North Carolina-Charlotte product, played with the Bucks in 2015, hitting .267 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.

Finally, former Waterloo right-handed pitcher Frank Rubio was taken in the 29^th round with the 876^th pick by the San Francisco Giants.  The University of Florida product played with the Bucks in 2015, finishing with a 1-4 record, a 5.80 ERA, and 1 save with 25 strikeouts.

The Bucks begin a two-game homestand versus the Thunder Bay Border Cats today, with a 6:35 pm start this evening.  Tonight’s game can be heard online at www.waterloobucks.com with play-by-play announcer Danny Frey and tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Bucks Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633.

The Bucks play at Riverfront Stadium where the team welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested more than $170,000 in improvements since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, and concessions equipment.  Bucks 2017 Single Game Tickets, Season Tickets, and Group Outings are now on sale.  Fans are encouraged to call the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633 to order.  Fans can stay in touch with the Bucks during the 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. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit http://www.waterloobucks.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.