For the 124th time in history, a BYU baseball product has been selected in the MLB draft.
Cougars pitcher Ben Hansen was taken by the Boston Red Sox Tuesday with the draft’s 597th overall pick. Hansen’s selection came in the 20th and final round of the event.
The southern California native logged a team-high 72 innings for BYU this past season, posting a 5-7 record on the mound with 51 strikeouts and a 6.63 earned run average.
Hansen, who originally committed to baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt before flipping to the Cougars, can reach up to 96 miles per hour on his fastball and also throws a cutter, curveball and changeup.
Prior to his collegiate career, Hansen served as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic. His brother, Brett, pitches for BYU as well.
In their first year in the Big 12, the Cougars finished in last place with a 7-23 league mark and 21-31 overall record.