Four more NUpitchers drafted, two considering returning

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Dustin Timm and Phil Shirek, two of the four Nebraska pitchers picked Tuesday during the second day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, both say they are leaning towards returning to the Huskers for their senior campaigns.

Timm, a fourth-year junior from Yutan, was picked in the 26th round by Milwaukee; and Shirek was chosen in the 44th round by Cleveland.

Senior Mike Sillman of Omaha was the first Husker chosen Tuesday, going in the 21st round to St. Louis. In the 44th round, St.Louis also chose NU senior Quinton Robertson of Richland, Miss.

The four pitchers taken Tuesday join seniors Justin Pekarek and Jake Mullinax, who were selected during Monday's first 18 rounds. The six selections were the most since 2001, when eight Huskers were drafted.

The five pitchers chosen is the most from NUsince 1983, when six Husker pitchers were drafted. Nebraska ranked third in the Big 12 and 26th nationally with a team ERA of 3.76 this year.

Timm, though, said he had goals left to accomplish at Nebraska.

"I'm probably going to stay and graduate,"Timm said. "I want to get more strength to my arm and get a lot of work on it."

This year, Timm went 2-3 with one save and a 3.89 ERA in 19 appearances, striking out 24 and walking 11 in 44 innings of work.

Timm, a right-hander, had Tommy John surgery on the elbow in his throwing arm in March 2003. He made two appearances before the season-ending injury. He missed half of the 2002 season after season-ending elbow surgery.

Timm was first selected in the 2000 draft by the Kansas City Royals.

Shirek, a right-hander from Minot, N.D., said his draft position wasn't what he expected it to be.

"It(the pick) was a little disappointing because Ithought I was going to go higher,"Shirek said. "But I can't complain because there were a lot of kids out there who didn't get drafted."

Shirek is leaning toward staying with the Huskers next season but said at this point that he is nowhere close to a decision.

"Iwant to stay and hopefully, look toward getting a regional bid,"Shirek said. "I would also like to possibly go higher (in the draft) next year. I guess it's kind of hard to drop too much lower."

Shirek, a junior, was 5-1 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 appearances, including 11 starts. He was seventh in the Big 12 in ERA while ranking third on the team in wins and innings (701/3). Shirek has a 14-6 record with a 3.46 ERA in three seasons at NU.

Sillman, a right-hander, went 1-2 with five saves and a 2.86 ERA in a team-high 24 appearances this year. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder averaged more than a strikeout an inning this season. Before his junior season, Sillman switched to a submarine delivery and became one of the Huskers' best relievers, going 1-1 with three saves and a 1.82 ERA in 17 appearances.

Robertson, a senior, had a 14-6 record in his two seasons in the Husker baseball program, including earning All-Big 12 honors in 2003 after going 10-2.

Nebraska recruits Mike Storey of Bellevue East and Jacob Opitz of LIttleton, Colo., were also chosen Tuesday. Storey was chosen by Cleveland in the 23rd round, while Optiz, an infielder, was a 39th-round choice of Seattle.