Trio of Tech pitchers selected on day two of MLB Draft - Texas Tech Red Raiders - TexasTech.com

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LUBBOCK, Texas – Three Red Raiders were selected on the second day of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft that featured rounds 3-10 on Monday, bringing Texas Tech's total to four MLB draft picks with one day remaining. The right-handed pitching trio of Andrew Morris, Brandon Birdsell and Chase Hampton were the most recent draft picks, joining infielder Jace Jung.

Morris, a junior in his first season at Texas Tech, was selected in the fourth round (No. 114) by the Minnesota Twins to begin a run of Red Raider pitchers selected in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds on Monday. Birdsell, a 2021 draft choice, improved his position in 2022 by being selected in the fifth round (No. 143) by the Chicago Cubs while Hampton, a draft-eligible sophomore, was taken in the sixth round (No. 190) by the New York Yankees.

Since Tim Tadlock was named the head coach of his alma mater prior to the 2013 season, Texas Tech has now had 63 selections in the MLB Draft. Hampton became the 40th pitching selection during that stretch as the Red Raiders have developed into one of MLB's top pipelines for quality arms.

Morris made an instant impact as a Red Raider in his first season with the team, representing Tech's weekly Friday night starter beginning in game one of the season until the NCAA regionals. Morris was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree and earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week recognition twice during the 2022 season.

Birdsell, heard his name called in the 11th round in 2021 as the Minnesota Twins took him with the 339th overall pick. Of the nine Texas Tech MLB draft picks last season, Birdsell was the sole individual who elected to return for the 2022 season. Birdsell made waves with the additional season going on to be the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team selection in his junior season. He was also named an All-American by four different organizations.

Hampton, a draft-eligible sophomore by virtue of reaching the 21-year-old age requirement, came on strong to close the 2022 season. He did so by setting a single-game career-high 12 strikeouts in his final appearance versus Notre Dame in the NCAA Statesboro Regional – tying an all-time program postseason high for single-game strikeouts.

The trio helped lead the 2022 team to the second-most team strikeouts in a single season in program history (608), trailing only the 2019 team (632). The Red Raiders were one of 22 teams to reach 600 strikeouts or better in the 2022 season.

On Sunday night, Jung became the third Major League Baseball Draft pick chosen in the first round in program history as he was selected 12th overall by the Detroit Tigers. The sophomore infielder from San Antonio, Texas joins his brother Josh Jung (8th, Texas Rangers/2019) and Donald Harris (5th, Texas Rangers/1989).

The 2022 MLB Draft concludes Tuesday starting at 1 p.m. CT with rounds 11-20.

TEXAS TECH MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Jace Jung, INF – No. 12 / First Round (Detroit Tigers)
Andrew Morris, RHP – No. 114 / Fourth Round (Minnesota Twins)
Brandon Birdsell, RHP – No. 143 / Fifth Round (Chicago Cubs)
Chase Hampton, RHP – No. 190 / Sixth Round (New York Yankees)

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