KU baseball’s Ryan Zeferjahn, Jaxx Groshans drafted by same MLB team
Two Kansas baseball players were not only picked in the top five rounds of the MLB Draft on Tuesday ... they also will be playing with the same organization.
KU pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn (third round) and catcher Jaxx Groshans (fifth round) both were selected Tuesday afternoon by the Boston Red Sox. They became the 30th and 31st KU players to be taken in the first 10 rounds of an MLB Draft.
Zeferjahn — ranked 84th by MLB Pipeline heading into the week — was the final pick of the third round at 107th overall. The 6-5 right-handed pitcher from Topeka was the ace of KU’s staff, becoming the first Jayhawk ever to post 100 strikeouts in consecutive seasons.
“It’s just a surreal moment when you get that call and then see it on TV ... it’s awesome,” Zeferjahn said. “All the time my parents have spent with me, taking me everywhere and all the work I’ve put in has finally paid off. The coaches at Kansas have really helped me mature as a baseball player and gave me the best opportunity to succeed, and I thank all of them for everything they’ve done.”
Groshans, meanwhile, was MLB Pipeline’s 138th-ranked draft-eligible prospect. He went to Boston with the 167th overall selection.
KU coach Ritch Price now has had 11 players taken in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft in his 17-year tenure; that includes seven in the last six seasons.
“It was a great day for both young men,” Price said of Zeferjahn and Groshans. “I am thrilled for both of them. To be picked by the World Champions and such a historic franchise as the Boston Red Sox is special.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2019 at 5:51 PM.
