Stetson senior outfielder/first baseman Jeremy Cruz has been selected in the 13th round (411th overall) of the Major League baseball draft by the Los Angeles Angels.
Cruz, a senior out of Miami, Florida had another outstanding season for the Hatters. He was named Second Team All-America by TPX Louisville Slugger and earned the 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Award and First Team All-Conference status. In the preseason he was also named to the Louisville Slugger's All-American Team and a member of the Wallace Watch List.
Cruz completed the season with a .399 batting average, 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in. He narrowly missed batting over .400 for the second consecutive season by just percentage points. His 18 home runs tied the team record for home runs in a season, and his 80 RBI placed him at the top of the conference, and in the Top-5 in the nation. His RBI effort tied him for the sixth-best single-season total in A-Sun history and is the third-highest total in the league in the last 20 years. Cruz also led Stetson in hits (91), doubles (19), runs scored (62), slugging percentage (.719), and on base percentage (.474).
Cruz finished his Stetson career with a .359 batting average in 208 games played. His average places him 7th all-time at Stetson (tied with Frank Corr). He is 2nd all-time in home runs with 36 (tied with Andy Wilson), 3rd all-time in RBI with 188 (tied with Braedyn Pruitt), 4th all-time with 56 doubles (tied with Brian Snyder), 6th all-time in slugging % at .589, and 8th all-time in base hits with 272.
