Waterloo, Iowa – Four former Waterloo Bucks players heard their name called on the second day of the 2015 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft on Tuesday.  Blake Hickman, Grant Borne, Kevin Kaczmarski, and David Kerian were all taken between rounds seven and nine.

The first former Waterloo player selected in the 2015 MLB Draft was right-handed pitcher Blake Hickman.  Hickman was taken in the 7^th round with the 202^nd pick by the Chicago White Sox.  A product of the University of Iowa, Hickman played as both a pitcher and catcher with the Bucks in 2013.  The two-way player hit .186 in 40 games for the Bucks, finishing the season with 13 RBI and three stolen bases.  On the mound, the Chicago, Illinois native made six appearances, finishing the year with a 4.50 ERA and six strikeouts in six innings pitched.  Hickman was a 20^th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2012.  This season for the Hawkeyes, Hickman was a first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American, finishing 9-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 16 starts.

With the 224^th overall pick (7^th round), the Washington Nationals selected left-handed pitcher Grant Borne.  A product of Nicholls State University, Borne pitched for the Bucks in 2013, appearing in 13 games and finishing the year with a 3-1 record and an 8.65 ERA.  This season for the Colonels, Borne was named second-team All-Southland Conference after finishing with a 1.48 ERA, good for second in the league.

The third former Buck selected in the draft was outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski who was taken by the New York Mets in the 9^th round with the 269^th overall pick.  Kaczmarski played with Waterloo in 2012 and 2014, garnering Roth Jewelers Player of the Year Awards both seasons.  In two years with the Bucks, Kaczmarski hit .339 in 102 games, compiling 16 home runs, 95 RBI, and 22 stolen bases.  A product of the University of Evansville, Kaczmarski led all Division I baseball players in batting average (.465), triples (nine), and triples per game (0.20) this spring for the Purple Aces.

David Kerian, a first baseman from the University of Illinois, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 9^th round.  Kerian, selected 284^th, played with the Bucks in 2013 and 2014, hitting .295 in 123 games during that span.  Kerian finished his Waterloo career with 11 home runs, 74 RBI, and 29 stolen bases.  The Louisville Slugger second-team All-American and 2015 Big Ten Player of the Year led the conference with 16 home runs, a .367 average, .462 on-base percentage, .667 slugging percentage and 138 total bases to go along with a team-high 52 RBI this spring for the Fighting Illini.

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

The Bucks, the winningest team in all of summer-collegiate baseball over the past two years, play at Riverfront Stadium.  Team ownership has invested more than $70,000 in improvements to the ballpark since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks 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 22^nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Majo

r League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com.