Waterloo, Iowa – Nine former Waterloo Bucks were drafted on Wednesday, the third and final day of the 2018 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, which covered rounds 11 through 40.  Adding the two players selected on Tuesday’s portion of the draft, a total of 11 former Bucks heard their names called in the 2018 draft.  Robert Nuestrom, Jay Schuyler, Korry Howell, Kyle Leahy, Lane Milligan, Jonah Bride, Mario Leon, Zach Malis, Dalton Hurd, Kellen Rholl, and Tim Millard will all now have the opportunity to play baseball professionally.

The first former Waterloo player selected in the 2018 MLB Draft was outfielder Robert Neustrom.  Nuestrom was taken in the 5^th round with the 145^th pick by the Baltimore Orioles.  A product of the University of Iowa, Neustrom played for the Bucks in 2016.  Neustrom finished the season hitting .271 with 4 home runs, 39 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.

With the 199^th overall pick (7^th round), the Cincinnati Reds selected catcher Jay Schuyler.  A product of the University of San Diego, Schuyler played all 72 games for the Bucks in 2017, setting a single-season team record.  Schuyler finished his season in Waterloo with a .238 average with 4 home runs, 38 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.

Former Waterloo shortstop Korry Howell, a Kirkwood Community College product, was taken in the 12^th round with the 365^th pick by the Milwaukee Brewers.  Howell hit .298 with five RBI and 13 stolen bases while playing with the Bucks in 2017.

Kyle Leahy heard his name called in the 17^th round as the St. Louis Cardinals selected the righted-handed pitcher 513^th overall.  Leahy, a Colorado Mesa University product, played two seasons with Waterloo in 2016 and 2017.  During his Bucks career, Leahy compiled a 5-1 record with a 2.19 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

The next former Waterloo player selected in the 2018 MLB Draft was catcher Lane Milligan.  Milligan was taken in the 17^th round with the 520^th pick by the Boston Red Sox.  A product of Oklahoma City University, Milligan played for the Bucks in 2016.  Milligan hit .316 with 2 home runs, 34 RBI, and 6 stolen bases for Waterloo.

With the 683^rd overall pick (23^rd round), the Oakland A’s selected former Bucks third baseman Jonah Bride.  A product of the University of South Carolina, Bride played for Waterloo in 2015, hitting .237 with 18 RBI and a stolen base.

Mario Leon heard his name called in the 23^rd round as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected the right-handed pitcher 699^th overall.  Leon, a Florida Gulf Coast University product, played with the Bucks in 2014, finishing with a 2-0 record, a 3.71 ERA and 20 strikeouts.

Former Waterloo third baseman Zach Malis was taken in the 24^th round with the 705^th pick by the Detroit Tigers.  The Grand Canyon University product played with the Bucks in 2017, finishing with a .305 average, 5 home runs, 41 RBI, and 5 stolen bases.  Malis was named the Waterloo Bucks Player of the Year, as voted on by Bucks Season Ticket Holders.

The ninth former Waterloo player selected in the 2018 MLB Draft was outfielder Dalton Hurd.  Hurd was taken in the 25^th round with the 758^th pick by the Chicago Cubs.  A product of the Seattle University, Hurd played for the Bucks in 2017.  Hurd finished the season hitting .284 with 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

With the 763^rd overall pick (25^th round), the Cleveland Indians selected left-handed pitcher Kellen Rholl.  A product of Angelo State University, Rholl appeared in five games for the Bucks in 2016, finishing with a 0-0 record and a 5.68 ERA with three strikeouts.

Finally, former Waterloo third baseman Tim Millard, a Dallas Baptist University product, was taken in the 35^th round with the 1,051^st pick by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Millard hit .277 with one home run and seven RBI while playing with the Bucks in 2015.

The Bucks finish a three-game homestand tonight at Cost Cutters Field 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, kids zone inflatables, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.  Tickets are now on sale by calling the Bucks’ Ticket Line at 319-232-5633.

 

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  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.