Sacramento State baseball players Chris Kinsey (fourth), Jesse Schmidt (10th) and Mikela Olsen (15th) were each selected in the top 15 rounds of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, it was announced today. Kinsey, a native of Elk Grove, was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as a pitcher with the 126th pick. Schmidt, a native of San Diego, was taken by the San Francisco Giants as an outfielder with the 303rd pick. Olsen, a native of Oakhurst, Calif., was selected by the Florida Marlins as an outfielder with the 443rd pick. All three athletes completed their junior seasons with the program.Kinsey joins Erik Bennett as the highest selection in Sacramento State program history. Bennett, a right-handed pitcher, was taken in the fourth round by the California Angels in 1989. Kinsey and Schmidt also became the first Hornets selected in the top-10 rounds since Harvey Hargrove was selected in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners in 1997. Kinsey, Schmidt and Olsen are the highest selections in one year in program history and are the most selections in one season since 1993. The last Sacramento State players to be selected in the MLB draft were Chad Elliot (15th, Mets) and Casey Martinez (26th, Blue Jays) in 2000.
A 2000 graduate of Laguna Creek High School, Kinsey proved to be a dominant force in the Hornet lineup as both a pitcher and a hitter. As a pitcher, Kinsey appeared in 47 career games including 29 starts while tallying an 11-13 record, 202.8 innings pitched, 175 strikeouts, two shutouts and three saves. His career marks place him seventh (appearances), eighth (innings pitched) and sixth (strikeouts) in the Hornet record book. In 2003, he led the squad in appearances (21), innings pitched (95.1), strikeouts (98) and opponents batting average (.234). His strikeouts placed him sixth in the single-season record book and his 12-strikeout performance against Pacific on Feb. 2 placed him second in single-game history.
At the plate, Kinsey batted .300 with 606 at-bats, 182 hits, 98 runs, 38 doubles, 30 home runs, and 128 RBIs as a first baseman and designated hitter. Kinsey’s career doubles established a new program record while his at-bats, hits, RBIs and home runs place him second in the career record book. The junior ranks tied for first (three home runs) and second (8 RBI) in single-game history and tied for fourth in the single-season record book with 16 home runs. Kinsey also earned second team all-Big West Conference honors as a utility player in 2002.
Schmidt, a transfer from Palomar JC in San Marcos, Calif., made an immediate impact with the program after batting .389 with 81 hits, 53 runs, nine doubles, 16 home runs, 55 RBIs, 138 total bases, 16 stolen bases, 138 total bases, a .663 slugging percentage and a .463 on-base percentage.
Schmidt also established a new Div. I era (1990-present) record by hitting safely in 24-consecutive games from March 11 to April 24. The previous record of 22 games was set during the 1992 season by Casey Simpson. During his streak, the switch hitter batted .443 (39-for-88) with 26 runs, five doubles, nine home runs, 16 walks, 22 RBI, 10 stolen bases and only 10 strikeouts. In the record-setting game, Schmidt finished 5-for-5 with three home runs, three runs and five RBI on April 18 at Centenary. For his efforts, Schmidt was named Louisville Slugger’s National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News on April 21. He became the second Hornet (Kinsey) to record three home runs in a contest and is also tied for fourth in the single-season record book with 16 homers. In addition, Schmidt tied for the team lead with three multi-homer games (two from each side of the plate).
As a right fielder, Schmidt set a new program record with 12 outfield assists while committing only one error and finishing with a .993 fielding percentage. The previous record of 11 was set by Mario Celillo during the 2002 season.
Olsen, a transfer from Santa Ana JC in Santa Ana, Calif., was the catalyst of the Hornet offense after batting .404 with 88 hits, 50 runs, 20 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 66 RBIs, 160 total bases, a .734 slugging percentage and a .454 on-base percentage as a utility player.
Olsen also led the squad by batting .445 with runners on base and .443 with runners in scoring position. The junior dipped below the .400 mark on only one occasion during the year (March 28, .396) and was the first Hornet to bat .400 since Dan Ferreira accomplished the feat in 1990. Olsen also led the Hornets with 25 multi-hit games, 18 multi-RBI games and tied for the team lead with three multi-homer games (two from each side of the plate). In the Hornet season record book, Olsen ranks second in RBIs, tied for fourth in doubles and home runs, and sixth in batting average.
Olsen proved his versatility in the field by starting 22 games in left field, one game in right field, 18 at first base and 15 as a designated hitter. In 56 games, the junior committed only three errors with a .985 fielding percentage.
Sacramento State (33-24) finished the 2003 season with its best record since 1993, including a 23-9 record at Hornet Field. The Hornets, who finished the year with a .303 team-batting average, ended the season without losing more than three-consecutive games for the first time since 1990.
