University of North Carolina Athletics
Major League Baseball Draft Recap
June 5, 2000 | Baseball
June 5, 2000
CHAPEL HILL -- University of North Carolina junior baseball players Tyrell Godwin, Ryan Snare, Eric Henderson, Ryan Earey and Dan Moylan as well as fifth-year seniors Derrick DePriest and Chris Elmore were all selected in today's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Godwin became Carolina's fourth first-round pick in the past two years and its 10th all-time when he was selected 35th overall with a "sandwich pick" by the Texas Rangers. Snare was picked in the second round, while Henderson went in the fourth, Earey in the sixth, Moylan in the eighth round and the DePriest/Elmore tandem was taken in today's 17th round.
Godwin, a junior outfielder from Council, N.C., was originally selected in the first round out of East Bladen High School by the New York Yankees in 1997. Godwin elected to attend Carolina on a prestigious Morehead Scholarship the past three years and he ranked among UNC's leaders in virtually all offensive categories in 2000. A second-team All-ACC and third-team All-America (Collegiate Baseball) selection, Godwin was second on the 2000 Tar Heel baseball team with a .363 batting average, 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases. His 67 RBIs were tied for the team lead.
Snare, a junior left-handed pitcher from Palm Harbor, Fla., was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round with the 63rd overall pick. Snare led Carolina in the 2000 season with a 10-1 record and 102 strikeouts. His 3.14 ERA led all UNC starters and he was a second-team All-ACC selection.
"I'm just very excited and very happy to be drafted," Snare said. "It's hard to put into words how this feels. I was very nervous the last few days the more and more I thought about it, but it's very exciting for me to be a part of the Cincinnati Reds organization.
"I think I can use it as a little bit of motivation that if I work hard and do well, maybe three of four years from now I can play alongside a guy like Ken Griffey Jr., one of my childhood heroes."
Henderson, a left-handed pitcher from Winchester, Va., was taken with the 111th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers after a junior season that saw him compile a 6-6 record and a 4.32 ERA. Henderson struck out 80 batters in 91.2 innings and led the Tar Heels with 18 pickoffs.
The San Diego Padres selected Earey, a utility player from Wilmington, N.C., with the 169th overall pick. Earey was a second-team All-ACC pick in 2000 after batting .317 with a team-high 14 home runs. He also tied for the team lead with 67 RBIs. In addition to his work at first base, Earey's also very highly regarded as a pitcher, where he was 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 23 appearances. Used primarily as a setup man out of the bullpen, Earey struck out 56 batters in 57.1 innings, including a career-high 12 against East Carolina on April 18 in one of three starts.
Moylan, a first-team All-ACC catcher in 1999, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 233rd overall pick. A native of Keene, N.H., Moylan was among Carolina's leaders at the plate in 2000 with a .323 batting average and 47 RBIs. He was named to the all-tournament teams at the NCAA Regional at Upper Montclair, N.J., and at the season-opening Disney Blast in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
In Monday's 17th round, the Montreal Expos picked DePriest, one of the most dominant closers in ACC history, with the 495th overall pick. A Homestead, Fla., native, DePriest was a first-team All-ACC selection as a senior and he finished his career with 124 career appearances, good for second all-time in the Carolina record book.
Also in the 17th round of selections was another Carolina fifth-year senior in lefty Chris Elmore. Elmore was selected with 512th overall pick in the draft by the Boston Red Sox. Elmore had his best season ever as a Tar Heel finishing 9-1 on the season and 19-3 during his career in Chapel Hill. He ranks second all time at Carolina with a .864 winning percentage.
