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Sports

Pirates find buried treasure in form of Lincoln

Former Cougar pitcher taken in 4th round of MLB draft, 
hopes to get "feet wet quick"

Cougar Sports Service

Former Houston Cougar pitcher Brad Lincoln made history by becoming the highest selected player in school and Conference USA history when he was taken as the No. 4 pick in Tuesday's MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Lincoln utilized a fastball that topped out at 97 miles per hour and a hard-breaking power curve ball to make quick work of most of his opponents at the plate. 

The Cougar ace ended the 2006 season with a 1.69 ERA, a team high 152 strikeouts and a 12-2 record. 

Lincoln was also named a semifinalist for the Roger Clemens Award, which is given to the nation's top college pitcher, and the Brooks Wallace College Player of the Year Award. 

This caught the attention of Pirate scouting director Ed Creech and general manager Dave Littlefield who jumped at the chance to pick up Houston's workhorse.

"He was the most talented guy available," Littlefield told MLB.com. "He's someone that we think is accomplished and closer to the big leagues than the next group of players who are out there."

Lincoln, who was named Conference USA pitcher of the week four times in the 2006 season, also led the team in RBIs with 53. He was second on the team with 14 home runs and put together a .295 average to become one of Houston's elite hitters.

But his bread and butter in the big leagues will be his pitching, which is why he and the Pirates are in contract negotiations now. Once these are done Lincoln will likely be sent to play for either the Class A Hickory Crawdads in North Carolina or the Carolina League Lynchburg Hillcats in Virginia to further develop his change up before he would be called up.

"I want to get my feet wet quick. I want to get out there and start playing … I want to get to where they are going to send me and get going," Lincoln told MLB.com. "I have to perform up to par. I have to go out there and show them what I have. Hopefully within the next two or three years I'll be playing at the big-league level."

The Cougars produced their first Round 1 picks in the MLB draft back in 2003 when pitchers Ryan Wagner and Brad Sullivan were taken 14 and 25 by the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics, respectively. 

Both are currently in the minor leagues though Wagner has spent time in the Major Leagues with the Reds.

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