4 Redbirds selected in MLB draft

[June 10, 2013]  NORMAL -- After leading the Illinois State Redbirds to its most successful regular season in program history, four senior Redbirds were selected Saturday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Chad Hinshaw (15th round, Los Angeles Angels), Brett Kay (20th round, San Francisco Giants), Chris Razo (24th round, Milwaukee Brewers) and Eric Aguilera (34th round, Los Angeles Angels) were drafted by major league teams, marking the fourth consecutive year a Redbird baseball player has been taken in the Major League Baseball draft.

Hinshaw, a four-year Redbird starter, was the first ISU player selected Saturday, when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took the Bloomington native in the 15th round. As a senior, Hinshaw batted .298/.364/.434, starting all 58 games for the Redbirds in center field. He knocked four home runs, tallied 11 doubles, added four triples and was the team leader in stolen bases, going 33 for 37. He owns the Illinois State program record for most career stolen bases (108) and finished in the top 10 in program history in games played, starts, at-bats, runs scored, walks, hit by pitches, fielding percentage and sacrifice bunts. He played an instrumental role in the 2010 NCAA regional-qualifying Redbird team, going 2 for 2 with two RBIs in Illinois State's Missouri Valley Conference tournament-clinching win over Wichita State. He also went 4 for 4 with three doubles as Illinois State defeated St. Louis for its first NCAA regional win since 1976. Hinshaw was named the 2012 Illinois State Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Kay spent four years as the Illinois State starter at shortstop and was selected in the 20th round by the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. As a senior, Kay was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive MVP and batted .301/.409/.412 in 58 starts for the Redbirds. He launched three home runs and added 35 RBIs, nine doubles and three triples while stealing 10 of 11 bases. He holds the Illinois State baseball record for career sacrifice bunts (36) and tallied 35 career stolen bases.

Razo, a two-year player for Illinois State, was taken in the 24th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Chillicothe native was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year after a dominant senior season on the mound for the Redbirds. Razo opened the year as the Redbird closer, going 4 for 4 in save opportunities with a sub-2.00 ERA. After shifting to the starting rotation, he became one of the most dominant pitchers in the country, going 8-2 with five complete games, including Valley wins over fellow draft selections Nick Petree of Missouri State and Sean Manaea of Indiana State. He finished the season with a 1.71 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 89 1-3 innings of work.

Aguilera was selected in the 34th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Cary native led the Redbirds in nearly every offensive category in 2013, batting .346/.408/.524 with seven home runs, 58 RBIs, 14 doubles and three triples. He started all 58 games for the Redbirds in right field and was named to his second consecutive All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team. After an injury sidelined most of his 2011 season, Aguilera rehabbed back to become one of the premiere players in the Valley in 2012. He batted .330 with seven home runs and led the MVC in conference batting average, hitting .407 in Valley games.

The Redbirds had one player selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, when closer Kenny Long was taken in the 22nd round by the Houston Astros. He is currently a member of their Double-A affiliate in the Texas League.

[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]