June 8, 2014
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two University of Iowa baseball players — senior Taylor Zeutenhorst and junior Sasha Kuebel — were selected in the 38th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday.
Zeutenhorst was the 1,131 pick by the Seattle Mariners, while Kuebel was the 1,155th selection by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. The Hawkeyes had three players selected in the draft as Jake Yacinich was taken in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on June 6.
As a senior, Zeutenhorst enjoyed his best season as a Hawkeye, posting a .268 batting average with 37 runs and 35 RBIs. The Sheldon, Iowa, native belted a team-high nine home runs, which ranked third in the Big Ten, and drew 30 walks. The outfielder slugged .444 and had 16 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI games.
Zeutenhorst played in 169 games as a Hawkeye with 125 starts. He finished his career with a .239 batting average with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and four triples. He scored 76 runs and drove in 70 in four seasons. As a freshman, Zeutenhorst was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Kuebel matched a career-high in victories in 2014, going 6-5 with a 4.53 ERA in 17 appearances (15 starts). The left-hander was durable on the mound, logging 89 1/3 innings, which were the ninth most in the Big Ten and the 11th-most in a single season in school history. Kuebel posted five quality starts during the season and had 61 strikeouts, 26 looking.
The St. Louis native is 14-13 with a 4.09 ERA in 44 career appearances (39 starts). Kuebel has thrown 257 2/3 innings, allowing 143 runs (117 earned) and has 143 strikeouts. As a freshman, he went 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA en route to second-team All-Big Ten, unanimous All-Big Ten freshman team and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors.
It is the second time both Zeutenhorst and Kuebel have been drafted in their careers. Zeutenhorst was taken in the 41st round (1,251 pick) by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 MLB Draft, while Kuebel was selected in the 31st round (946th pick) of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
As a junior, Kuebel will have the option to sign with the Cardinals or return to the Hawkeyes for his senior season.