June 8, 2004
Baltimore, MD -
Johns Hopkins senior righthander Matt Righter (Clarion, PA/Lawrenceville Prep) was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 21st round of the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday.
Righter was selected with the 613th pick of the draft, the highest a Johns Hopkins player has ever been taken in the draft. He is the first Blue Jay to be drafted since outfielder John Christ was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 38th round of the 1999 draft.
Righter will most likely sign by the end of the week and is expected to join the Oneonta Tigers, Detroit's Class A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
"It is a dream come true," Righter said from his home in Clarion, PA. "After all the years of playing and working hard, it is very fulfilling."
Righter, who was an All-Centennial Conference First Team selection this year, ranked second on Hopkins with 56 strikeouts and third with a .211 opponents' batting average. He went 7-1 this season and allowed two runs on four hits in a complete game win over St. Joseph's (NY) on May 21 in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Righter's career winning percentage of .846 (15-3) is the fourth highest in JHU history and he won 12 straight decisions from March 10, 2003 through the victory over St. Joseph's, tied for the fifth longest streak ever at Hopkins.
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