(June 11, 2015)

Gents' Henry selected in 21st round in MLB Draft by New York Mets

Secaucus, NJ — Apparently, the number 21 is quite lucky for senior southpaw Taylor Henry.

On Wednesday Bossier City native and Airline High School graduate Henry became the third NCAA Division III player selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft when the New York Mets used the 629th pick to take him in the 21st round. Henry's selection marks the 21st time a Gent has been selected in the MLB Draft since 1979.

Taylor Henry
Taylor Henry

"We are very happy and couldn't be more proud of Taylor," said Centenary head coach Mike Diaz. "Not only was he one of the best pitchers on our staff, he was one of the hardest workers on the baseball team these past four years."

"I am thrilled for Taylor that he will be able to continue his dream of playing professional baseball," added Diaz.

A D3Baseball.com All-American in 2015, Henry had quite the year. In 24 appearances on the mound, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year led the SCAC in both saves (nine, 15th in the nation) and strikeouts (85, 21st in the nation). He finished second in the conference and 28th in the nation in ERA (1.59) while finishing seventh in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.3).

Other honors for Henry this season include selection for the D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-West Regional Team as well as being named the D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year. These awards capped off a notable career for Henry, who made 79 appearances and finished with an 18-13 record with 17 saves, two complete games and 202 strikeouts in 217.2 innings pitched in four seasons. He is the Centenary career leader in saves and stands fourth in both wins and strikeouts while ranking eighth in innings pitched.

Henry helped lead Centenary to its second SCAC regular-season title in three seasons and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. The Gents finished the 2015 campaign 24-17 overall and 15-3 in SCAC play.