Schlereth taken 26th overall

Ex-Bronco's son one of six locals picked on Day 1

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Luke Adams / University Of Arizona

Daniel Schlereth, a pitcher for the University of Arizona and a graduate of Highlands Ranch High School, was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the first round Thursday.

Daniel Schlereth has his eyes set on winning an NCAA baseball championship.

For countless college players, the weeks leading to the College World Series are filled with the greatest thrills of the collegiate baseball season.

On the other hand, there are the unavoidable temptations of the constant draft analysis and calls from prospective agents, distractions that do not wane until the conclusion of the Major League Baseball draft.

Schlereth has experienced both extremes the past few weeks, which finally culminated in the greatest thrill of all - his selection Thursday by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the draft.

The left-handed pitcher for the University of Arizona was selected 26th overall despite recovering from two serious injuries since he graduated from Highlands Ranch High School in 2004. He is a Lone Tree native and son of former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth.

Daniel Schlereth's Wildcats squad begins a best-of-three Super Regional today against Miami with a berth in the College World Series at stake.

"I was more anxious than anything," Daniel Schlereth said about draft day. "Off the field, it can be a distraction. But once you get on the field, you forget about all that. It isn't hard to put it aside and focus. I had no clue who would take me. San Diego and Seattle seemed to show the most interest before, so it was more of a surprise than anything."

Schlereth was drafted by Oakland in the eighth round in 2007 but opted to take a chance at improving his stock by playing another season at Arizona. The gamble paid off.

The 6-foot-1 redshirt junior enters the series against the Hurricanes having made 34 relief appearances for Arizona, going 2-0 with a 1.81 ERA, 76 strikeouts and one save in 542/3 innings.

He was a star throughout his youth career and threw six no-hitters during his high school career at Highlands Ranch.

Schlereth's famous father recognized his son's talent at an early age. The elder Schlereth often took it upon himself to make sure his son did not lose sight of the big picture.

"I was the voice of reality to the point of being a jerk," Mark Schlereth said. "I mean, this kid was known as 'The Franchise' since he was 12 years old, so it was my job to keep him grounded.

"Throughout my (NFL) career, I've seen a ton of guys come through with talent. But all talent will get you is a look. I admit it, I could be hard at times. But that was how I was coached, and now (Daniel) is a baseball player with a football player's mentality. Others didn't see him in front of 20 or 30 scouts in his last high school game rip his elbow up and have Tommy John surgery. They didn't see him break his wrist and fall down the charts last year.

"I'm so proud of what he's gone through and what he's accomplished."

Five other players with Colorado ties were drafted Thursday:

Tyler Sample, a 6-foot-7 right-hander from Mullen, ranked the 42nd-best prospect in the nation by Baseball America, was selected in the third round (80th overall) by Kansas City.

Anthony Capra, a left- handed pitcher from Wichita State and an Arvada West High School graduate, was selected in the fourth round (124th overall) by Oakland.

Sean Ratliff, a Niwot graduate and center fielder for Stanford, was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round (134th overall).

Shane Dyer, an Eaton High School graduate and right- handed pitcher at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, was taken by Tampa Bay in the sixth round (No. 173 overall). He was the Rockies' 24th round pick in 2006 but opted to attend New Mexico, then transferred.

Kiel Roling, a Grand Junction Central High School graduate who played catcher at Arizona State, was taken by the Rockies in the sixth round (No. 197 overall).