June 11, 1997

Four USC Baseball Players Drafted

LOS ANGELES - Four USC baseball players were taken in the early rounds of the Major League Baseball draft last week: Randy Flores, Seth Etherton, Marc Mirizzi and Scott Henderson.

Flores, a senior lefthander, was a ninth-round pick of the New York Yankees. He improved his draft status 12 rounds from the year before, when he was a 21st-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Flores, USC's all-time winningest pitcher, was 9-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 1997.

Etherton, a junior righthander, was also selected in the ninth round, but by the St. Louis Cardinals. Etherton was 10-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 1997. As a junior, he has the option to sign with the Cardinals or return to USC for his senior year.

Mirizzi, a senior shortstop, was taken by the Yankees in the 15th round. He batted .325 with five home runs and 37 RBI in 1997.

Henderson, a senior righthander, was taken by the Florida Marlins in the 26th round. He was 8-4 with a 5.82 ERA in 1997, but improved his draft status with a strong finish.

Prior to the draft, senior DH/catcher Jason Brown signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a fifth-year senior, he was a free agent and had his choice of teams to sign with. Brown hit .368 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI in 1997.