Ball State junior Colin Brockhouse was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft Wednesday afternoon.

"I feel good about it," Brockhouse said. "It's always a blessing to go [in the draft]."

Listed at 6-feet-3-inches tall, the right-handed pitcher can whip his fastball into the mid-90s and head coach Rich Maloney said Brockhouse was "the most talented guy" on Ball State's pitching staff at the beginning of the season.

Brockhouse went 3-2 with a 3.98 ERA and 40 strikeouts against 19 walks, though tendinitis sidelined him for most of March and April. Opponents only hit .203 against him this season.

Originally from Fort Wayne, where he starred in both baseball and football at Northrop High School, Brockhouse often played as a DH when he wasn't pitching, hitting .243 with six home runs in three seasons, though he only hit .196 as a junior.

"Athleticism's big," Brockhouse said. "Not a lot of people have athleticism plus this, plus that. I'm just blessed and gifted to be as athletic as I am, I know that's one of my strong suits."

Brockhouse was also one of eight Ball State players named Academic All-MAC.

"That's a tremendous honor for me to have," Brockhouse said. "My schoolwork paid off, especially in the degree I'm going in, it's pretty tough."

Unlike other major sports leagues, where players actively declare for the draft, baseball players who don't sign a professional contract can return to school without losing their eligibility or amateur status. Just last year, Brockhouse was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 37th round but chose to return to Ball State.

"It's just at this moment, I don't know if I'll sign yet," Brockhouse said.

The signing deadline is July 15.

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