Junior catcher would join pair of former Ravens in Seattle organization

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RINDGE, N.H. (June 7, 2011) – Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University baseball team has been selected in the 12th round (363 overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Dowd is the 18th selection in program history, all coming since 2001 and all coming under current Head Coach Jayson King. In that timeframe, only Division I members Boston College (35) and Connecticut (32) have had more MLB draftees among New England schools than the Ravens' 18. Franklin Pierce is the only New England institution to have at least one player drafted in each of the last 11 years.

"Dowd has put together three very good seasons for us and has been the backbone of our defense," said King. "When he does go out to play pro ball, somebody is going to really like what he has to offer."

Dowd's junior campaign was one of his most impressive yet for the Ravens, collecting him All-America honors from two different organizations. He was named to the All-America Third Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and earned Honorable Mention honors from Daktronics.

Dowd wrapped up the 2011 season as one of the toughest batters to strike out in the country. He struck out just 10 times in 202 at-bats, or once every 20.3 at-bats, which was good for 10th in the country. In addition, Dowd ranked in the top five in the Northeast-10 Conference in batting average (.342), hits (69), doubles (17) and total bases (101).

In addition to his All-America honors, earlier this spring Dowd was selected to the All-East Region First Team by both the ABCA and Daktronics, in addition to an East Region Gold Glove honor from the ABCA. It was a busy awards season for the backstop, as Dowd was also named to the All-Northeast-10 First Team and earned a spot on the NEIBA All-Star Team. He has been an All-Northeast-10 First Team member and All-East Region selection in each of his three years in Rindge, and claimed Northeast-10 Co-Freshman of the Year honors in 2009.

"It's a dream come true. I'm still letting everything soak in," said Dowd, who spent the day with his family and believed heading into the day that it would be the Mariners who selected him. "I feel really good about where I was taken. Now, I can't wait to get out and play."

Dowd is the fourth Raven to be drafted by the Mariners, joining Scott Savastano (28th round, 852 overall in 2008), Keith Renaud (10th round, 315 overall in 2007) and the program's first-ever draft selection, Justin Blood (9th round, 279 overall in 2001). Dowd is the highest draft pick for Franklin Pierce since Renaud's 2007 selection.

Two former Ravens are currently active in the Seattle organization, Savastano and a former Raven teammate of Dowd's, Kevin Rivers, who signed a minor-league free-agent contract after his junior season in 2009. Savastano is with the Double-A Jackson Generals, while Rivers is playing for the Class-A Clinton LumberKings.

Dowd was the second Northeast-10 player taken in the draft, trailing only Massachusetts Lowell junior left-hander Jack Leathersich, who went in the fifth round (162 overall) to the New York Mets.

Tuesday was the second day of the draft, which concludes on Wednesday with rounds 31-50, beginning at noon. Live coverage is available at mlb.com throughout the draft. Franklin Pierce has as many as four draft hopefuls still available.

The Ravens wrapped up the 2011 campaign at 40-14, reaching the 40-win plateau for the second year in a row and the fifth time in program history, all in the last six years. Franklin Pierce hosted NCAA Regional play for the sixth time in school history, all in the last seven years.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).