CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M's Joe Corbett became the highest drafted player in program history on Tuesday afternoon as the right-hander was taken by the Texas Rangers with the 295^th overall pick in the 10^th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.
 
The Edmond native becomes the fourth Buff selected in the MLB Draft to join Austin Moore (2016, 26^th Round, 770^th Pick, Colorado Rockies), Joshua Payne (2017, 22^nd Round, 667^th Pick, New York Mets) and Marshall Kasowski (2017, 13^th Round, 400^th Pick, Los Angeles Dodgers). 
 
Corbett is the fifth player in Lone Star Conference history to be drafted in the Top-10 Rounds while becoming the fourth highest selection in league history behind Tarleton's Mike Rodriguez (1996, 6^th Round, 159^th Pick, Toronto), Angelo State's Blake Bass (2015, 8^th Round, 228^th Pick, Texas) and Abilene Christian's Frankie Keller (2002, 10^th Round, 285^th Pick, Cincinnati).
 
Corbett earned a pair of National Pitcher of the Year honors last week as the senior finished the campaign with an incredible 2.44 ERA as he went 12-1 on the season with five complete games in 92.1 innings of work with 136 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of just .196. The Edmond, Oklahoma native become the program's all-time leader in victories (23) and strikeouts (231) while also breaking his own single-season wins mark in 2019. The Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year earned First Team All-American honors from D2CCA, ABCA/Rawlings and the NCBWA.
 
The Buffs recently concluded their 2019 campaign with an overall record of 41-12 to set a new program record for victories in a single season, WT claimed their third Lone Star Conference Tournament Title in the last four seasons while making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Postseason for the sixth straight season.
 
Top-10 Highest Draftees in Lone Star Conference History
1) Mike Rodriguez, Tarleton (1996, 6^th Round, 159^th Pick, Blue Jays)
2) Blake Bass, Angelo State (2015, 8^th Round, 228^th Pick, Rangers)
3) Frankie Keller, Abilene Christian (2011, 10^th Round, 285^th Pick, Reds)
4) Joe Corbett, West Texas A&M (2019, 10^th Round, 295^th Pick, Rangers)
5) Chase Larsson, Cameron (2011, 9^th Round, 296^th Pick, Braves)
6) Cory Ammons, Southeastern Oklahoma State (1998, 11^th Round, 317^th Pick, Royals)
7) Paul Darnell, Tarleton (1999, 11^th Round, 338^th Pick, Reds)
8) Matt Shannon, Angelo State (2017, 12^th Round, 369^th Pick, Blue Jays) 
9) Marshall Kasowski, West Texas A&M (2017, 13^th Round, 400^th Pick, Dodgers)
10) Clay Calfee, Angelo State (2008, 14^th Round, 427^th Pick, Dodgers)