Central Missouri senior left-handed pitcher Lee Stoppelman was selected in the 24th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday by the St. Louis Cardinals (pick No. 750). Stoppelman (Pleasant Hill, Mo./Pleasant Hill HS) becomes the 30th Mule to be drafted by a major league organization and will be the 54th to sign with a major league franchise, the third under current head coach Tom Myers.
Stoppelman, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year, was a second team All-American selection by the ABCA, Daktronics and NCBWA. He was a first team All-MIAA selection after going 10-0 with a 1.47 ERA. He struck out 89 batters and walked just 16 in 79.2 innings, while helping the Mules to the MIAA regular season and tournament titles.
The regular season crown was the third straight for UCM and the 23rd in school history with the tournament title being No. 20 in program history. The Mules finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final ABCA Top 25 poll with a 48-9 overall record.
