Trio of Eagles selected in Major League Baseball draft
3 – minute read
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Florida Gulf Coast University junior Jason Woodward in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft Monday. The 119th pick overall, he led off a trio of Eagles drafted that included Mason Miller and Edrick Felix. This year’s draft picks were FGCU’s first since 2019.
“We are extremely happy for Jason, Mason, Edrick and our program. They have all worked very hard to be selected in the 2023 Major League draft,” head coach Dave Tollett said. “The guys are looking forward to getting started on their professional journey and continuing the success of making it to the show like our past alumni.”
Woodward, who hails from Titusville, becomes the third Eagle drafted by the Brewers. Pitchers Jordan Desguin and Jacob Barnes were chosen in 2015 and 2011, respectively.
Woodward made three starts this year, tossed 13.2 innings and sported a 2-0 record and a 1.32 ERA before suffering a season-ending injury. The junior right-hander struck out 18 batters with a season-high of 10 strikeouts in five innings of scoreless work in a win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Woodward fanned three in 2.2 innings during the upset victory of No. 16 Florida State University.
Junior left-hander Miller, from Odessa, Florida, was the second Eagle drafted. He was picked 409th overall in round 14 by the Kansas City Royals, who previously drafted FGCU’s Josh Dye in 2018 and Julio Gonzalez in 2017.
A trio of Eagles heard their named called on Draft Day 👀
— FGCU Baseball ⚾️ (@FGCU_Baseball) July 12, 2023
2023 MLB Draft Recap ⤵️
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Miller was primed for a great year before an early season-ending injury. He had a 5.68 ERA across seven starts with a 2-0 record. He had 35 strikeouts in just 25.1 innings pitched.
Miller threw a season-high five innings in a win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell, striking out a season-best 11 batters. Miller posted four strikeouts in the win over FSU.
The third draft pick for the Green & Blue was sophomore infielder Felix, who hails from Orlando. The Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 14th round as the 419th pick.
Felix was one of three All-Americans to lead a stacked 2023 Eagles squad. He was named a second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and earned third-team distinction from three other publications. He put the ASUN Conference on notice by leading the league in RBIs (83) and home runs (25) en route to becoming the first ASUN Player of the Year in program history.
He broke FGCU’s single-season record for homers while starting all 60 games and finished the season nationally ranked top 10 in total bases, home runs, RBIs and RBIs per game.
