Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Chris Serritella taken by Kansas City in 2011 MLB Draft
06/08/2011 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
June 8, 2011
By Jason Clay
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois junior first baseman Chris Serritella was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday.
Serritella, a 6-3, 212-pound left-handed hitter, was taken with the 936th overall pick in the draft. He becomes the 16th Saluki selected in the draft in the last 10 years and the 24th since 1995.
In two seasons at SIU, Serritella hit .353 with 17 home runs and 88 RBIs. He was a preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selection entering his junior year in 2011, but missed the entire season with a broken bone in his wrist.
"For Chris to be drafted in the 31st round without having played at all this spring is a testament to his abilities," interim head coach Ken Henderson said. "We will now have to wait and see if he signs professionally or returns to SIU for another year (he has until August 15 to sign). He is an extremely talented hitter and we certainly would love to have him back for his junior year."
As a sophomore in 2010, Serritella received first team All-MVC honors after ranking in the top five of eight different offensive categories in the conference. His .374 batting average in 2010 was the third highest in the MVC and Serritella drove in 64 runs and belted 13 home runs. Those 64 RBIs tied for the second most in a season in program history.
During his freshman season, Serritella was named to the All-MVC honorable mention team after batting .325 with 52 hits and 24 runs driven in.
Serritella is playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cap Cod League over the summer.
If he does not sign a professional contract, Serritella will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Salukis.
