Tampa Bay Rays select Buhach Colony graduate Jake Jefferies

ATWATER -- Buhach Colony found itself near the center of the baseball world Thursday.

Alum Jake Jefferies was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the first pick of the third round in the MLB amateur draft, while another BC player -- pitcher Brett Mooneyham -- could go early today.

Jefferies was the 78th overall pick and fifth catcher taken in the two-day draft.

The timing and place was a bit of a shock. Jefferies, who played his college ball at UC Davis, had limited contact with the Rays organization, and online mock drafts targeted him as a fifth-round selection.

"It's very exciting," Jefferies said. "I had heard from a couple of other teams but not the Rays.

"When I saw my name pop up ... I can't really explain it. It was really exciting."

The Jefferies family gathered in a hotel room in Davis and watched the draft on a laptop.

When Jake's name finally flashed across the screen, emotion enveloped the suite.

"There was a little bit of everything going on. A little bit of yelling, a little bit of crying," Jefferies said. "Everybody seemed pretty excited.

"When you work your whole life for this -- my goal was always to play pro ball -- it's really exciting when it finally comes true."

There were small celebrations all across Atwater after Jefferies' pick.

"He's probably the best pure hitter to come out of our program," said Greg Wakefield, his former coach at BC. "You always wanted to get him up in a situation that mattered, because he could hit anybody."

It showed at Davis.

Jefferies was among the nation's top collegiate catchers this season, his nomination for the Johnny Bench Award obvious proof.

The junior was arguably the team's toughest out. Jefferies batted over .300 in each of the last two seasons, including .387 with 54 RBIs this past spring.

Davis advanced to the Stanford Regional in its first season in Division I.

"It's been the best year I could ask for," Jefferies said. "(Coach Rex Peters) and the rest of the coaching staff built this program from the ground up. It's been awesome to be a part of that. And for this to happen, man, it's like icing on the cake."

Jefferies said he'll forgo his final season in Davis and sign a contract.

Meanwhile, Mooneyham was left waiting when the first day came to a close.

The 6-foot-5 lefty had been touted as a first-day selection, but didn't receive a single phone call from a big-league club.

Mooneyham presumes that the possibility he might not sign scared off the Angels, Brewers, Yankees and Reds -- clubs that have frequented his home and games for the past year.

Mooneyham has accepted an athletic scholarship to Stanford and has met with super-agent Scott Boras. That combination could mean clubs would have to attach a hefty signing bonus to their offer sheet.

No matter what transpires today, the recent BC grad appears content with his plan to play baseball at Stanford next year.

This story was originally published June 6, 2008 at 2:44 AM with the headline "Tampa Bay Rays select Buhach Colony graduate Jake Jefferies."