D-Rays select Duryea.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays dipped into the Midwestern League for the second time in as many days when they picked Marshfield pitcher Matt Duryea in the 20th round of the amateur baseball draft on Tuesday.

DRAFT

Duryea, a left-handed pitcher, was 8-3 with a 1.80 ERA overall and 6-2 with a 2.02 ERA in league games. He struck out 116 in 55 innings during Midwestern games. He also batted .520 with six home runs and was named league most valuable player.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was picked with the 585th selection overall in the draft. Tampa Bay picked Churchill's Ryan Royster in the sixth round and Lane Community College sophomore Kenneth Brock in the 15th round on Monday.

Duryea has a scholarship to Oregon State if he elects not to sign with the Devil Rays.

Tyler Brown became the second Lane Community College player selected in the draft when he was picked in the 43rd round by the Kansas City Royals. He was 1-1 with six saves and a 2.15 ERA for the Titans.

Brown, a 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher who graduated from Sheldon in 2002, could follow his two older brothers into pro baseball, although Lane coach Rob Strickland said Brown is likely to forgo signing in favor of attending another junior college next year.

By attending a junior college, Brown can either sign with the Royals before next year's draft or be selected by another team in 2005.

Tim and Trevor Brown were picked in the 12th and 17th rounds, respectively, in the 2001 draft. Trevor Brown is playing for Kane County, an A affiliate of the Oakland A's, and Tim Brown is in the Pittsburgh organization.

Glide pitcher Brandt Pedersen was picked by Pittsburgh in the 38th round. The left-hander was 5-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings this season.

Pedersen was scouted by Pittsburgh and Kansas City, but originally thought he went undrafted.

"I didn't really understand the draft, and yesterday I didn't see my name picked, so I was disappointed and then somebody said they were only on the 19th round," he said.

Pedersen does not plan to sign immediately with the Pirates, but instead will head to Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash.

"From what the Pirates said, they want me to go to Lower Columbia for a year and then we will see from there," he said.

A pair of Oregon State players were picked in the 19th round. Junior outfielder Aaron Mathews was picked 567th overall by Toronto, and senior pitcher Nathan Pendley went 13 selections later to San Francisco.

The total of six OSU players selected in the draft was the most in school history.

The Padres continued to stockpile their draft with college players, many of whom could be assigned to Eugene for the Northwest League season. With 49 selections in the two-day draft, the Padres picked 38 college players and 11 preps. The college players included 22 pitchers, seven outfielders, four first basemen, two shortstops and two third basemen.

The Ems will arrive in town next week and open the season at Salem-Keizer on June 18.

It appears unlikely that Matt Bush, the high school shortstop who was picked No. 1 overall in the draft by San Diego, will make his professional debut in Eugene this year.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday that Bush is expected to be assigned to Peoria, a rookie-league affiliate in the Arizona League.