In Round 15, Nats take college outfielder Ballou

In the 15th round of the First-Year Player Draft (No. 466 overall), the Nationals selected center fielder Isaac Ballou of Marshall University.

Ballou, a Smithfield, Va., native, set four individual records during his four-year career with the Thundering Herd. His career walks (129) and career triples (16) were new program highs, and his seven triples in 2011 and 43 walks in '12 also are school records. Ballou also ranks second in Marshall history with 64 career stolen bases.

A 6-foot-2, 205-pound outfielder, Ballou was an All-Conference USA first team selection last season after leading the team in eight statistical categories, including batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.438) and slugging percentage (.433). He scored 40 runs and stole 13 bases, each of which ranked fourth in the conference.

Ballou was drafted by the Pirates in the 36th round of the 2011 Draft. He is the seventh player in Marshall history to be selected in the first 15 rounds of the Draft.