Righty Cooper taken by Nats in Round 12

The Nationals continued Day 3 of the First-Year Player Draft on Saturday by using their 12th-round pick (No. 376 overall) to select Andrew Cooper, a right-hander from Sierra College in California.

Cooper, a Canadian native, went 13-3 with a 2.65 ERA in California community college play. He led the Big 8 Conference in wins and finished third in the conference with 56 strikeouts. The 21-year-old also was recognized as the Northern California Pitcher of the Year last season.

The 6-foot, 190-pound pitching prospect originally played shortstop at St. Anne High School in Ontario, Canada. He has a low-90s fastball and has reportedly said that he wants to get his professional career started "as soon as possible."

Cooper is the nephew of Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.