Pridie, Nonemaker Selected in First Day of Major League Baseball Draft 6/4/02

Vanderbilt baseball signee Jason Pridie (PRY-dee) and outgoing senior Karl Nonemaker were selected in the first day of the 2002 Major League Draft Tuesday, June 4. The two-day draft concludes June 5.

Pridie, a member of the 2003 Vanderbilt baseball recruiting class, was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round (43rd pick overall). Nonemaker was taken in the 20th round (599th overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies.

An outfielder and pitcher at Prescott High School in Prescott, Ariz., Pridie enjoyed a highly decorated career with the Badgers. As a senior left-handed hitter, he led Prescott to the Arizona 4A Conference State Championship while hitting a team-best .566 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, eight triples and a 1.182 slugging percentage. He earned several honors, including Arizona player of the year, region player of the year, Prescott Courier player of the year, and selection to the 4A Conference All-Star team. The 6-1, 175-pound Pridie also led Prescott on the mound as a right-hander hurler with an 8-1 mark.

Pridie can wait until August 28, the first day of classes at Vanderbilt, to decide between playing collegiate or professional baseball.

Nonemaker, a 6-1, 190-pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Roxbury, N.J., finished his four-year collegiate career this season as Vanderbilt's all-time leader in career hits with 283. His .369 career batting average ranks as the school's highest all-time among four-year players. The talented center fielder registered 91 multi-hit games during his Commodore career and ranks among Vanderbilt's top 10 hitters all-time in at bats (fourth-767), doubles (tied-fifth) and runs scored (seventh-runs scored).

"It's one of the best feelings you could ever have," Nonemaker said. "There was a little bit of pressure waiting around to see if it was going to happen. Four to five scouts had said they passed along my name and after that it's been a waiting game. I'm relieved. It's like catching a second wind and now I have a chance to play."

Nonemaker says he will sign a professional contract in Philadelphia in the coming days. He will then spend time at the Phillies spring training complex in Clearwater, Fla., before reporting to the Batavia Muckdogs in Batavia, N.Y., Philadelphia's Short A squad in the New York-Penn League.