Local prep draft numbers down

Nick Christensen

Thursday, June 9, 2005 | 10:48 a.m.

Durango High School pitcher Kris Cichoski led a group of 10 Southern Nevada ballplayers selected in the final 32 rounds of the Major League Baseball amateur draft on Wednesday.

Cichoski was picked up in the 21st round, the Braves selecting him 647th overall. One hundred picks later, the Rockies took CCSN pitcher Steven Hirschfeld in the 25th round, and later that round, Oakland selected UNLV shortstop Zeke Parraz.

Overall, 12 Southern Nevada players from CCSN, UNLV and high schools were picked.

"Vegas as a whole right now, it seems like it's down talentwise," said CCSN coach Tim Chambers, who coached at Bishop Gorman before launching the Coyotes' program. "If you go back six years, we were getting 10 or 15 high schoolers drafted. Last year only one high school player was drafted from Las Vegas. I don't know if talent's down. It just seems weird."

Cichoski's teammate, pitcher Mike McClaren, was picked up by Tampa Bay in the 39th round. Cimarron-Memorial outfielder Brandon Trodick was selected by the Twins in the 33rd round.

Three CCSN pitchers were drafted, including Hirschfeld. He was joined by Craig Heyer, picked in the 31st round by Arizona, Aaron Brady, picked by Atlanta in the 47th round and catcher Dane Ponciano, who Minnesota selected in the 49th round.

Along with Parraz, UNLV junior pitcher Matt Luca was picked in the 27th round by Houston and another junior pitcher, Wayne Foltin, was chosen in the 31st round by the Giants.