Two Colonels, one signee picked in MLB draft

Two current Nicholls Colonels and one potential future Colonel heard their names called last week during the 50-round Major League Baseball draft.

Junior right-handed pitcher Dale Dickerson was the first of the three to go, selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 14th pick in the 16th round (485th overall) last Wednesday.

Junior outfielder/first baseman Chris Murrill was selected with the 28th pick in the 35th round (1,069 overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays and junior transfer Clint Dempster, who had spent the last two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College, was taken by the Seattle Mariners with the second pick in the 31st round (923rd overall).

Dickerson is the first Nicholls player to be drafted in the MLB first-year player draft since 2006 when Rudy Darrow was selected in the 32nd round by the Detroit Tigers. He is the Colonels’ highest draft selection since 2005 when the Toronto Blue Jays took Anthony Hatch in the 13th round.

Dickerson is also the third Nicholls player to be drafted by Cleveland. Dustin Roddy in 2004 and Devin Rogers in 1999 went to the Indians. Roddy was a 40th round selection, while Rogers was taken in the 8th round.

Dickerson, a Calhoun, La. native, led the team in saves his sophomore season with five in 25.1 innings of work. His junior season saw him only notch one save.

Nicholls head baseball skipper Chip Durham said the senior has the whole package.

“We are very proud of Dale,” he said. “He has accomplished a lot since he has been here, especially in the classroom. He is also a class individual. He can throw low to mid 90’s, and has a very deceptive sidearm delivery. His slider also complements his fastball well.”

Murrill became the second Colonel taken in the draft the next day.

The Mobile, Ala., native was second on the squad this season in batting average with a .344 average and in slugging percentage with a .487 mark from the leadoff spot. Murrill also was 10th in the nation in triples with seven, while leading the Southland Conference in stolen bases with 27.

“We are very excited about Chris getting drafted,” said Durham. “He has all the intangibles to make it to the highest level possible. Clint is also a great young man that has the arm strength to outpower his opponents.”

Dempster was set be a Colonel for the 2009-10 season, joining the team during the early signing period in the fall of 2008.

At Gulf Coast Junior College, the Thibodaux High graduate led the nation in strikeouts (113) among junior college pitchers. His strikeout total was coupled with a team-best 2.84 ERA.