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June 6, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – – Virginia left-handed pitcher Mike Ballard (Virginia Beach, Va.) was selected in the 14th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers on the first day of the first-year player draft Tuesday. It is the second straight year Ballard was drafted as he was the first Cavalier taken.
Ballard finished the season 9-3 with a 4.09 ERA. He started 16 games and recorded 69 strikeouts in 92.1 innings while holding opponents to a .261 batting avg. He threw two complete games and one shutout this season.
Ballard was named Pro-line National Pitcher of the Week, ACC Pitcher of the Week, Rosenblattreport.com National Pitcher of the Week, CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Pitcher of the Week and a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week after throwing Virginia’s first no-hitter since 1974 in a 5-0 shutout of Boston College. He was named to the Roger Clemens Award Watch list.
Ballard was drafted in the 47th round of the 2005 draft by the Minnesota Twins. The southpaw has 19 career wins at Virginia, which ranks him sixth all-time. His nine wins in 2006 were a career-best.