June 7, 2004
TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona juniors Koley Kolberg, John Hardy and Richard Mercado were all selected on the first day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, but it may have taken a while for them to find out.
The trio of Wildcats were probably hard to reach by the teams that selected them as they spent the day traveling home from South Bend, Ind., where all three helped the Wildcats win their first regional title since 1986 on Sunday with a 7-6 win over Notre Dame.
Kolberg was the first UA player taken when the Arizona Diamondbacks stayed in state to make the right-hander the 15th selection in the seventh round of the draft (No. 206 overall). The South Bend Regional MVP and UA's Friday night starter, Kolberg is 9-6 this season with 4.49 ERA in a team-high 132 1/3 innings pitched. He has struck out 112 batters this season, the most for an Arizona pitcher since former Wildcat and eventual first-round selection Ben Diggins posted 127 punchouts in 2000.
Kolberg has also come on to save a pair of games for the Wildcats late in the year, including the regional series title game against the Fighting Irish on Sunday.
Just six picks later, the Philadelphia Phillies tabbed Hardy with the 21st pick in the seventh round (No. 212 overall). A three-year starter for Arizona, Hardy has played third, shortstop and second base during his career in Tucson. The team batting champion his freshman season, Hardy is a career .301 hitter in 197 games played. Arizona's reigning "Iron Man" the Boise, Idaho, native has played in 113 consecutive games for the Wildcats, including 52 straight starts.
After picking Kolberg earlier in the day, the Diamondbacks returned their focus to Tucson to select Mercado with the 15th pick in the 12th round (No. 356 overall). An all-regional selection in South Bend over the weekend, Mercado lead all Arizona players at the plate with .417 average (5 for 12) a home run and five RBIs in the three-game regional sweep. For the year, the three-time letterwinner is hitting a team-high .335 with 29 RBI, four home runs and 28 runs scored.
The three draftees and the rest of the Arizona team will be making their first ever-appearance in a super regional this weekend against Long Beach State in California.
- Career History
Career History
- Individual Career History
Individual Career History
Individual Career History (Jun 07, 2004)
Kolberg, Koley
Year ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO
2004.... 4.49 9-6 22 19 4 0/0 2 132.1 160 84 66 59 112
TOTAL... 4.49 9-6 22 19 4 0/0 2 132.1 160 84 66 59 112
Hardy, John
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2002.... .328 52-48 174 36 57 8 1 5 38 24 44 5-9
2003.... .274 57-55 208 38 57 11 2 2 30 14 37 9-14
2004.... .307 58-57 199 36 61 6 3 5 31 25 47 8-11
TOTAL... .301 167-160 581 110 175 25 6 12 99 63 128 22-34
Mercado, Richard
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2002.... .292 45-37 144 22 42 7 1 1 21 10 18 3-4
2003.... .324 41-35 145 32 47 7 1 4 31 9 21 3-4
2004.... .335 51-46 167 28 56 6 2 4 29 25 16 0-1
TOTAL... .318 137-118 456 82 145 20 4 9 81 44 55 6-9
