University of Minnesota Athletics
Cincinnati Reds Draft Nick O'Shea in 24th Round
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
University of Minnesota junior first baseman Nick O'Shea (Blaine, Minn./Centennial HS) was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds with the 24th pick in the 24th round (745th overall) of the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday afternoon.
O'Shea, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound right-handed batter, earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors this season after batting .299 (49-for-164) with team-leading totals of 10 doubles, seven home runs, 34 runs batted in, and a .500 slugging percentage. He started 44 games for the Gophers, 37 at first base and seven behind the plate.
O'Shea batted .300 (6-for-20) with a team-high seven RBI, three runs scored, one double, and a home run at last month's Big Ten Baseball Tournament.
As a sophomore in 2010, O'Shea was named First Team All-Big Ten after leading the team with a .360 batting average, along with team-highs of 60 RBI and 13 home runs.
In his first season with the Gophers, O'Shea was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Collegiate Baseball Magazine's Freshmen All-America Team, as well as earning All-Big Ten Tournament accolades. He batted .287 that season, with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and 13 doubles.
O'Shea also stands out in the classroom, where he has earned First Team Academic All-District V recognition the past two seasons as a mechanical engineering major.
For his career, O'Shea has belted 31 home runs for the Gophers.
