Locals Brett Johnson, Cole Kirschsieper selected in MLB Draft

Two local baseball players recently were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Outfielder Brett Johnson, a Joliet West graduate who attended Spoon River Community College before transferring to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, was taken in the 10th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Cole Kirschsieper, a left-handed pitcher from Lincoln-Way East who attended the University of Illinois, was taken in the 12th round by the Miami Marlins.

A second team All-Midwest Region selection, Johnson also was first team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection following one of the most successful offensive seasons in SIUE history. He started all 55 games in center field and was second on the team with a .350 batting average. He set the single-season school record for home runs in a season with 23 and drove in 63 runs, establishing a new single-season benchmark for the Cougars at the Division I level.

In only two years at SIUE, Johnson hit 33 home runs, tying for the second most in school history, and drove in 96 runs while hitting .329 and amassing an OPS of 1.116 in 105 games.

Kirschsieper went 7-2 for the Fighting Illinois this spring, sporting a 3.40 ERA, which was the seventh-best mark in the Big Ten. In 87 1/3 innings, he held opponents to a .232 batting average while striking out 88 and walking 29. He was named All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Midwest Region Second Team.