First round includes second Alabamian

The state of Alabama has had a second player taken in the first round of the annual baseball draft for the first time since 1992.

Samford outfielder Phillip Ervin, a Leroy native, went 27th overall to the Cincinnati Reds.

In 1992, the state sported the third and 24th picks. Monroeville native B.J. Wallace, a left-handed pitcher at Mississippi State, went to the Montreal Expos. Bishop State Community College first baseman Eddie Pearson, a Mobile native, was taken by the Chicago White Sox.

Ervin was the No. 23 overall player available and No. 3 center fielder, according to Baseball America. He hit .337 with 11 home runs, 40 RBIs and 58 runs scored this year at Samford.