June 4, 2003

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Junior RHP Derek Roper (Elk City, Okla.) became the fourth Missouri baseball player taken in the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday as the 30 big-league clubs finished their two days of selections. Roper was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 32nd Round as the 965th overall pick.

He joins three other current Tigers who were taken on Day One. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Justin James (Yukon, Okla.) was selected by Toronto in the fifth round (140th overall), senior CF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) was picked by the Blue Jays in the 10th Round (290th overall), and Texas drafted junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) with the 496th overall pick in the 17th round.

Roper was the Tigers' No. 3 starter this year, finishing 4-2 with a 5.73 ERA in 59-2/3 innings. He had a season-high seven strikeouts in a no-decision vs. Northern Iowa on Feb. 23. He added five strikeouts against a potent Baylor lineup on April 20 as the Tigers took two of three games from the Bears, who are one of 16 teams left in NCAA Tournament competition as Super Regional play continues this weekend.

In addition, two high-school players who signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at Mizzou this coming fall and play for the Tigers were drafted, one on each day. Since the University has already published its allowable one-time release of information to the media - when they signed their letters of intent in December - under NCAA rules, their names cannot be released by Mizzou at this time.