Reds Select Phillip Ervin With First Pick Of 2013 Draft Take Outfielder 27th Overall

Cincinnati Reds Senior Director of Amateur Scouting Chris Buckley tonight announced the selection of OF Phillip Ervin (5-10, 205) from Samford University in Homewood, Alabama with the team's first pick (27th overall) of the 2013 first-year player draft.

Later tonight, the Reds will select their second and third players with overall picks 38 (with the fifth selection in Competitive Lottery Round A) and 67.

Ervin, 20, recently completed his junior year at Samford, where he hit .337 with 11 HR, 40 RBI and 21 stolen bases and received all-conference honors. The sociology major was a pre-season All-American and the pre-season Southern Conference Player of the Year.

He is the first baseball player to be drafted in the first round out of Samford and the highest draft pick in the school's history in any sport. While playing just 3 seasons for the Bulldogs, Ervin ranks in the school's Top 10 in career hits (230), hitting (.344), runs scored (157) and doubles (47).

In 2012 Ervin started all 64 games in centerfield for the Bulldogs and was selected first-team All-Southern Conference. He led the team with 18 doubles and finished third on the team in average (.327), HR (10) and RBI (52). Following that 2012 collegiate season, he was the Most Valuable Player of the Cape Cod League. Ervin attended Leroy High School in Leroy, Alabama.

The draft will resume tomorrow and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET via conference call. Rounds 3 through 10 will be held tomorrow and Rounds 11-40 on Saturday.