University of Tennessee right-handed pitcher Hunter Martin was selected by the Houston Astros in the 20th round (601st overall) of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
With his selection, Martin joins third baseman Jordan Rodgers (sixth round — Atlanta), righty Kyle Serrano (10th round — Houston) and lefthander Zach Warren (14th round — Philadelphia) as Tennessee’s 2017 Major League Draft picks through the first 20 rounds.
Martin is the second Volunteer selected by Houston in the 2017 Draft (10th round — Kyle Serrano), as well as the 131st all-time draft selection for Tennessee since 1965.
After claiming Tennessee’s Friday night starter role in 2017, Martin finished the season ranking ninth in NCAA Division I baseball and tied for first in the SEC with four complete games. He ranked fourth in the league with a 5.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as well as second among SEC pitchers with just 1.55 walks allowed per nine innings.
This season, Martin started a career-high 14 games, posting a 5-7 record with a 3.59 ERA with a career-best four complete games and 89 strikeouts in 92.2 innings of work. He led the Vols’ staff in multiple pitching categories, including innings pitched and strikeouts.
With his four complete games for the Volunteers as a senior, the Murfreesboro, Tenn., native also became the first UT pitcher to record multiple complete games in a single season since VFL and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Godley did so in 2013 (6).
As a freshman on UT’s staff in 2014, Martin made an immediate impact as his 12 starts marked the second-most by a Volunteer that season. That year, he maintained a 3.25 ERA over 63.2 innings, marking the fourth-best ERA by a first-year Volunteer in school history.
Martin finished his UT career with a 13-17 overall record, 3.50 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 63 games (37 starts), spanning 231.2 innings pitched. His 63 appearances are now the 10th-most by a Vol in school history.
-UT Athletics
