From K-State
K-State junior two-way player Will Brennan was selected in the eighth round (No. 250 overall) by the Cleveland Indians in the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft Tuesday.
Brennan, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection as a utility player, led K-State with 14 doubles and 13 stolen bases while hitting .291 to go with a career-best four home runs in 2019. On the mound, Brennan finished second the team with 39 strikeouts while collecting three saves in 17 appearances (eight starts).
For the third straight season, the Stilwell product ended the season as the toughest player to strike out in the Big 12, with 12 strikeouts in 223 at-bats. His 18.6 at-bats for every strikeout was the nation’s best rate in 2019, as he has a career ratio of 17.9 (626 AB, 35 K).
In three seasons as a Wildcat, Brennan has a career slash line of .332/.424/.412 with 208 career base hits with 40 steals. In 2017, his .350 batting average broke the program’s freshman hitting record, which had stood since 1973.
In 2018, the 6-foot junior led the Wildcats in batting average (.359), hits (79), doubles (13), runs (49) and on-base percentage (.454) in his sophomore season. Brennan led K-State in average each of his first two seasons. On the mound, the left-hander went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 30 strikeouts and seven walks in nine games.
Brennan was named First Team All-Big 12 in 2018 and tabbed a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball along with Big 12 All-Freshman honors in 2017. Brennan was also named Big 12 Player of the Week in 2018 in addition to being named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during his freshman season.
Brennan’s selection marks the 16th consecutive season in which a Wildcat was chosen in the MLB Draft and is K-State’s highest pick since Nate Griep was taken in the eighth round by Milwaukee in 2015. He becomes the ninth K-State player taken by Cleveland and is the first draft pick under first-year head coach Pete Hughes.
The Wildcats ended their 2019 season with a 25-33 (8-16 Big 12) record and an appearance at the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
