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Pepperdine Baseball Players Selected in MLB Draft 

June 8, 2006 - Pepperdine baseball players Chad Tracy, Paul Coleman, and Justin Tellman were selected during the first day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 6, 2006. 

Chad Tracy

Junior All-American Chad Tracy, who was a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award and helped lead Pepperdine to the championship game of the Malibu Regional, was selected in the third round (88th overall) by the Texas Rangers.

Tracy becomes the highest Pepperdine player drafted since 2001 when All-American pitchers Noah Lowry and Dan Haren were selected in the first and second rounds by the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. He also is the second Waves player drafted by the Rangers in the last two years, joining right handed pitcher Kea Kometani, who was selected in the 15th round of the 2005 draft.

Tracy has enjoyed an outstanding three-year career at Pepperdine, compiling a career average of .334 with 30 home runs, 57 doubles and 154 RBI. His 30 home runs tie for fourth on the Waves' all-time home runs list while his 57 doubles tie for second all-time.

The junior catcher batted .315 with six home runs and totaled a team-leading 46 RBI in 2006 after entering the season as a preseason All-American and being named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. He is currently a finalist for the Wallace Award.

Paul Coleman

Senior left-hander Paul Coleman became the second Pepperdine player picked in the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 12th round with the 353rd overall pick.

The senior left-hander, who was a ninth-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2005, concluded his Waves career with 20-13 overall record and 3.92 ERA while making 90 appearances. He concluded his career tied for second in appearances (90), fifth in strikeouts, and 10th in innings pitched (310.0).

Coleman, who was selected the West Coast Conference's (WCC) Pitcher of the Year in 2005 after going 9-3 with a 3.35 ERA, was named to the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. The award is presented each year to the college player of the year. The left-hander holds the Pepperdine single-game strikeout record after fanning 16 New Orleans batters during the 2005 Dairy Queen Tournament in Minnesota.

Justin Tellam

Junior Justin Tellam, who led Pepperdine with eight home runs in 2006, became the third Waves player selected during the first day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the Houston Astros picked him in the 14th round.

Tellam, who was in his first season at Pepperdine after transferring from UNLV, saw action behind the plate and as a designated hitter. He played in 43 games, starting 41, and batted .233 with a team-high eight home runs and totaled 26 RBI.

Including his two seasons at UNLV, Tellam has a .276 career batting average with 27 home runs and 93 RBI. His best season came in 2005 as a member of the Rebels when batted .302 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI.

Tellam had a nice postseason for the Waves as he batted .500 (6-for-12) with a home run and four RBI during the West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship Series and Malibu Regional.