Phillies, Angels select Penn players in draft

Two Penn players who played major roles for the Quakers were selected Wednesday on the final day of the Major League Baseball draft.

Catcher Austin Bossart, the Ivy League's co-player of the year, was drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round. Lefthander Ronnie Glenn was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the 22d round.

"I was not expecting the Phillies to call," Bossart said. "They called in the morning to let me know they were considering me. They called later in the day, and I've been on cloud nine ever since."

Bossart was taken with the 414th pick. He hit .358 with 13 doubles, four home runs, and 27 RBIs this spring. The catcher is the highest-selected Penn player since 1996, when the Atlanta Braves used a seventh-round pick on Mark DeRosa. The last Penn player drafted by the Phillies was Paul Cusick in the 29th round in 2011.

Glenn, taken with the 675th pick, went 4-3 this spring with a 3.12 earned run average. He struck out 48 batters.

In between the selections of Bossart and Glenn, the St. Louis Cardinals reached into the Big Five pool and selected Villanova pitcher Max Almonte with the 491st pick in the 16th round. Almonte, a graduate student, became the 13th Villanova pitcher in the last 14 years to be drafted.

In the 38th round, Lehigh's power-hitting second baseman, Mike Garzillo, was drafted by the New York Yankees, marking the first time in the program's history that Lehigh teammates have been taken in the same draft. On Monday, centerfielder Justin Pacchioli was a first-day selection (10th round) by the San Diego Padres.

In the 17th round, the Phillies selected Duke righthander Kenny Koplove (Penn Charter). In the 18th round they selected Barry University catcher Greg Brodzinski (Bishop Eustace) and in the 21st round they took Arkansas-Pine Bluff righthander Kevin Walsh (Sterling).