Northwestern State Pitcher Taken in Second Round of MLB Draft

(Following story provided by Northwestern State University Sports Information Department)

NATCHITOCHES – Left-handed pitcher Mason Melotakis became Northwestern State's second-highest overall selection in the annual Major League Baseball first-year player draft when the Minnesota Twins picked him in the second round, 63rd overall, Tuesday morning.

Melotakis, a 6-3, 205-pound, 20-year-old from Grapevine, Texas, is NSU's highest MLB Draft choice since right-handed pitcher Brandon Emanuel, who was the 61st pick by the California (now Los Angeles) Angels in 1998.

He became the first of several members of the 2012 Demon baseball team expected to be selected. Some draft analysts believe NSU will break its two-year-old school record of five draft picks with six players chosen by the time the selections finish Wednesday evening.

The quick selection Tuesday was ahead of the No. 88 projection recently by Baseball America magazine.

“I am ecstatic,” said Melotakis. “It’s a dream come true, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Melo, as he is known to his teammates, was watching the draft at his family home when the Twins chose him.

“My family and I were sitting quietly and when my name came up we started jumping for joy and going crazy,” he said.

Minnesota had shown interest in Melotakis since last fall and contacted his advisor Tuesday morning to discuss his potential selection.

“I’ve been talking to them for a while now,” said the hard-throwing southpaw, who has routinely been clocked with a fastball ranging from 92-96 mph. “I knew they had interest in me.

“I don’t really know much about their organization, but I cannot wait to get up there and see what they’re about,” said Melotakis.

A three-year letterman for NSU, Melotakis has a 5-7 overall record with 12 saves and a 3.68 ERA in his career as a Demon.  His 12 saves ranks third all-time in school history.

Over his career, he appeared in 61 games, threw 127.1 innings, struck out 129 batters, and gave up 43 walks.

Melotakis began the 2011 season as a starter before moving to the bullpen later that season.  In the 2012 season, he started in the bullpen and eventually moved to the rotation the last three weeks of the season.

“I want to be a starter at the professional level which means that I will need to work on my secondary pitches and be more mentally ready,” said Melotakis.

Melotakis is renowned for his 2011 pitching performance when the Demons won 5-2 at LSU, topping the Tigers for the first time in 10 years.  He threw four innings of no-hit baseball and struck out 10 batters.

“That was my favorite memory while at NSU," he said. “ I felt then about like I do today.

“Being a Demon helped me mature as a person and baseball player,” said Melotakis. “I owe a lot to J.P. Davis (former Demon head coach) because he has been a big influence on me and really helped me get to this point.”