BATON ROUGE — Aaron Hill, the 2003 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and a second team All-America selection, became LSU’s 12th first-round draft choice on Tuesday when the Toronto Blue Jays selected the Fighting Tigers shortstop in the Major League Baseball Draft.
Joining Hill as LSU draftees on the opening day of the major league draft is junior relief pitcher Billy Sadler, as the San Francisco Giants took the right-hander.
Hill was the 13th overall selection in the first round of the draft, while Sadler was the 183rd overall selection in the sixth round.
Hill, a native of Visalia, Calif., and a member of the 2002 United States national team that won the silver medal at the World University games, enters this week’s super regional against Baylor batting .368 and leads LSU in batting average, runs scored (63), doubles (27) and RBI (62).
Hill became the fourth LSU player to earn SEC Player of the Year honors, and later earned all-tournament team honors at the SEC Tournament in Birmingham and last weekend’s NCAA Baton Rouge regional.
Hill is the fourth LSU shortstop to be selected in the first round, joining Brandon Larson (1997 by Cincinnati), Russ Johnson (1994 by Houston) and the late Mike Miley (1974 by California). The last first-round draftees to come out of LSU were Mike Fontenot and Todd Linden, who were drafted in 2001 by Baltimore and San Francisco, respectively.
Sadler, a native of Pensacola, Fla., came to LSU this year after two seasons at Pensacola Junior College. Sadler has appeared in a team-high 25 games this year, 24 in relief, posting a 1-1 record with four saves and a 3.92 ERA.
The Giants have had previous success with LSU pitchers, as the club took All-American Kurt Ainsworth in the first round of the 1999 draft, and Ainsworth is now a part of San Francisco’s starting rotation.
Three LSU signees for the 2004 season were also drafted on the first day. Eric Duncan (INF, West Orange, N.J.) was selected by the New York Yankees as the 27th overall pick in the first round. Ryan Marion (RHP, Kendersville, N.C.) was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 219th overall pick in the eighth round. Cain Byrd (RHP, Shreveport, La.) was selected by the Texas Rangers as the 526th overall pick in the 18th round.
The major league draft continues with rounds 21 through 50 on Wednesday.