SECAUCUS, N.J. (June 8) – Former California University of Pennsylvania standout Kyle Petty (Stewartsville, N.J./Phillipsburg) was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 23rd round of the 2013 MLB Draft on Saturday afternoon, becoming the first Vulcan in nearly two decades to be selected in the MLB Draft.

Petty was selected with the 11th pick of the 23rd round, 687th overall, and is one of eight Cal U players to ever be chosen in the MLB Draft. He is the first Vulcan selected in the draft since 1995 when catcher Steve Flanigan was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st round (573rd overall). Pitcher Rick Krivda, one of three players in school history to reach the major leagues, was selected in the 23rd round (602nd overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 1991.

A four-year starter, Petty was a consensus All-American and a national finalist for the Tino Martinez Award as a senior. He was selected the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Daktronics Atlantic Region Player of the Year and was the consensus All-Atlantic Region First-Team selection at catcher. The New Jersey native also was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Athlete of the Year and earned All-PSAC laurels for the fourth-straight season.

Petty set career highs in every offensive category in 2013, finishing among the top 20 in NCAA Division II in batting average, triples, stolen bases and slugging percentage. He ranked second in the league and No. 16 in the country with a .416 average (74-for-178), which was nearly 70 points higher than his career mark. The 6-5 standout tied for the national lead with eight triples, which was the most by a Cal U player in over 35 years, and finished with a league-best .674 slugging percentage. Petty led the PSAC and ranked No. 12 in the country with 37 steals, which tied for the third-most in school history and was the highest in the league since the conference record was set in 2010. He also finished second in the league with 49 RBI and was third with six homers, 51 runs scored and a .483 on-base percentage.

One of the most versatile players in the country, Petty was selected in the MLB Draft as a first baseman after starting games at seven different positions over his collegiate career. He started 13 games at first base in each of the last two years, primarily starting at first base in the final three weeks of this season. Petty was one of four players in school history with at least 175 hits, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI and 50 stolen bases. He finished third all-time in school history with 15 triples, sixth with 190 hits and seventh with 61 stolen bases. Petty also ranked eighth in school history with 45 appearances as a pitcher and tied for third with 11 saves.

The Mariners, whose Executive Vice President and General Manager Jack Zduriencik is a 1974 graduate of Cal U and 2011 inductee into the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame, feature nine minor-league affiliates with three Class A teams and four Rookie teams.

ALL-TIME CAL U MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS*

Year	Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team	Player	Position
2013	23	11	687	Seattle Mariners	Kyle Petty	First Base
1995	21	10	573	Pittsburgh Pirates	Steve Flanigan	Catcher
1994	32	11	886	Pittsburgh Pirates	Richard Venezia	Shortstop
1991	23	9	602	Baltimore Orioles	Rick Krivda	Pitcher
1987	24	8	612	Los Angeles Dodgers	Randy Wadsworth	Catcher
1985	30	5	751	Pittsburgh Pirates	Brian Schaum	Shortstop
1968	10	17	221	San Francisco Giants	Keith Haney	Catcher
1965	17	--	236	Philadelphia Phillies	Gilbert Brown	Second Base

* information via Baseball-Reference.com