MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - With the 12th pick in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Concordia-St. Paul right-hander Louie Varland.
 
Varland becomes the fourth player in program history to be selected in the MLB Draft, joining his brother, Gus Varland, as well as Bryan Lippincott and Jake Schmidt. Gus Varland was selected in the 14^th Round by the Oakland Athletics in 2018 while Bryan Lippincott was picked in the 19^th Round by the Washington Nationals in 2012 and Jake Schmidt was picked in the 41^st Round by the Chicago Cubs in 2009. The Golden Bears have now had juniors (the first year a four-year college player is eligible to be drafted) selected in back-to-back years.
 
In his three seasons with the Golden Bears, Louie Varland has compiled a 10-6 record with a 2.73 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 115.1 innings. The junior right-hander has limited opponents to a .244 average while allowing just 20 extra-base hits in his career. His career ERA ranks third in school history while his 10.22 strikeouts per nine innings ranks fourth.
 
Varland's best season came in 2018 as the Maplewood native earned ABCA All-Central Region Second Team honors while also being named the NCBWA region honorable mention. In that season, Varland finished fourth in the nation with a 1.41 ERA while also ranking third in the conference with a .213 opponent batting average. The right-hander did not allow a run over his first 21.0 innings of the season.
 
This season, Varland upped his strikeout numbers as his 68 strikeouts rank sixth in single-season history at CSP and his 11.06 K/9 ranks eighth. He struck out at least five hitters in all nine of his starts, including a career-best 11 in 8.0 shutout innings against SMSU on March 8.
 
Varland helped boost his draft profile last summer as he earned a spot in the 2018 Major League Dreams Showcase at the Northwoods League while being named the second-ranked prospect in the league, according to Prep Baseball Report.

CSP DRAFTEES
2019 - Louie Varland (Minnesota Twins, 15th Round)
2018 - Gus Varland (Oakland Athletics, 14th Round)
2012 - Bryan Lippincott (Washington Nationals, 19th Round)
2009 - Jake Schmidt (Chicago Cubs, 41st Round)