Olson a fourth round pick of the Minnesota Twins, marking highest pick in program history Arizona Diamondbacks take Fournier in the 11^th round Oakland A's select Presutti in the 12^th round

RINDGE, N.H. (June 6, 2006) - Three members of the 2006 Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Champion Franklin Pierce baseball team were taken on day one of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft this afternoon.

Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) headed the list with his selection in the fourth round (126^th overall) by the Minnesota Twins - marking the highest draft pick in program history. The pick surpasses Shawn Hayes' selection in the fifth round (142^nd overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

The Arizona Diamondbacks took junior right-hander Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) in the 11^th round (327 overall), marking the two highest picks in the same year in program history. Junior right-hander Shane Presutti (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) gave the Ravens a record three picks on day one (and overall) when he was selected by the Oakland A's in the 12^th round (368 overall).

"I'm just happy for the guys drafted today and the program for the year we had," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. "Our record-breaking year just carried over to the draft."

The three picks surpasses Franklin Pierce's previous best of two selections in one season last year when Hayes and relief pitcher Matt Fisher (15^th round, Tampa Bay) were both taken on day one. The Ravens nine picks since 2001 are tied with the University of Connecticut for second among New England Colleges and Universities behind Boston College (15).

"When I think what we did this year and how was great it was, it's cool we went so far and showed the team had a lot of talent," said Fournier. "Now the three of us, and hopefully some more guys, will get to represent Franklin Pierce at the pro level."

"This should help the program more and more," said Presutti. "This just shows you how good coach is at recruiting this type of talent to Franklin Pierce."    

Olson, rated as the No. 2 ranked Pro Prospect in Division II and 95^th-ranked prospect in college baseball by Baseball America magazine in the preseason, became Franklin Pierce's first two-time All-American when he was selected to the first team by both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region and Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year hit .367 (88-for-240) with 69 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs and 60 RBI to go with 18 stolen bases.

"As a two-time All-American, Garrett couldn't do much more for our program than he did," said King. "It's just a testament to what he did for our program."

Olson was also sound in the field, committing just 11 errors (on 313 chances) for a .965 fielding percentage. He led the Ravens with 28 multiple hit games and notched 12 multi-RBI outings (2^nd). Olson was named to the All-Tournament team of the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional, where he posted an impressive .560 (14-for-25) average, 11 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and ten RBI over the five games.

Olson finished his career among career leaders in several categories at Franklin Pierce. He is second all-time in runs scored (166) and home runs (28), third in batting average (.359), fourth in triples (8), RBI (126) and stolen bases (44), fifth in hits (228), sixth in games played (160) and seventh in doubles (38). This season, Olson set program records for hits and runs scored, while his home run total was just one shy of the program record.

"I started getting excited and antsy in the third round," said Olson, who gathered with family and friends at home, along King. "I was surprised that Minnesota took me because they hadn't had much contact with me. I'm excited about the chance to go out and play professional baseball. I'm happy with where I went, it exceeded my expectations I had at the start of the year."            

Fournier, a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection, posted a 5-3 record for Franklin Pierce this spring with a 3.18 ERA, 88 strikeouts and 32 walks in 62.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .181 batting average. He led all of Division II with 12.71 strikeouts per nine innings and tossed the fourth no-hitter in program history against Southern Connecticut State University on March 28. The effort earned him Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball magazine.

"It's awesome and exciting," Fournier said of getting picked. "I had met with the (Diamondbacks) scout during the season had a feeling they had the most interest in me."

Fournier posted a 15-7 record in 30 appearances over his career at Franklin Pierce. His win total is good for fifth all-time to go with a 3.07 ERA (4^th all-time) and 208 strikeouts (4^th) in 167.0 innings pitched (8^th). Fournier's 88 strikeouts this season rank sixth in program history.

Dan's best innings are in the future for him as he is a guy with a lot of upside," said King. "I think pitching every day he will continue to improve and have a good pro career."            

Presutti, a first team All-NE-10 and All-Northeast Region pick, enjoyed a breakout year for Franklin Pierce after transferring from Quinsigamond Community College. He posted a 9-2 record and 2.64 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) for the Ravens, striking out 95 and walking 31 in 85.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .208 batting average.

Presutti set a school record when he posted back-to-back shutouts and notched a shutout inning streak of 34.1 innings late in the regular season. His win total was just one shy of the program's single-season mark, while his ERA is good for eighth in program history and his strikeout total shared the NE-10 lead and ranks fourth all-time.

"Shane had a great year, winning a lot of games for us," said King. "At times this year he was dominant and I hope he can continue to be that way at the next level."

"It's very exciting," said Presutti. "(Oakland's) kind of showed their interest last minute, but their offer in the 12^th worked out for me."

Franklin Pierce (46-13) shattered the program record for wins en route to earning its second trip to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in four years where the Ravens again reached the semifinal round. The Ravens posted a record 25-5 record in Northeast-10 Conference play, earning the first regular season title in program history.

Franklin Pierce doesn't figure to be done making its mark on the 2006 MLB Draft with upwards of four or five more potential picks in rounds 19-50 on Wednesday.

Franklin Pierce's All-Time MLB Draft Picks
2001 - Justin Blood (Swanzey, N.H.), LHP, Seattle Mariners, 9^th round
            Retired, Associate Head Coach University of Connecticut
2002 - Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass.), RHP, Oakland A's, 22^nd round
            Now playing for the Worcester Tornadoes (Can-Am League)
2003 - Matt Weagle (Charlton, Mass.), RHP, St. Louis Cardinals, 6^th round
            Now playing for the Worcester Tornadoes (Can-Am League)
2004 - Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine), C, Houston Astros, 10^th round
            Lexington Legends, Class A, South Atlantic League
2005 - Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass.), SS, Kansas City Royals, 5^th round
            Extended Spring Training
            Matt Fisher (Athol, Mass.), RHP, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 15^th round
            Extended Spring Training
2006 - Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine), SS, Minnesota Twins, 4^th round
             Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass.), RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks, 11^th round  
            Shane Presutti (Southbridge, Mass.), RHP, Oakland A's, 12^th round