Six Tennessee Volunteer baseball players, including four signees, were

taken in Major League Baseball's 2000 First-Year Player Draft held June

5-6. Vols taken from the 2000 team included two-time second-team

All-Southeastern Conference senior pitcher Jamie Bennett and junior catcher

John Massey.

Bennett, who was selected in the 22nd round by the Philadelphia Phillies,

went 10-4 with a SEC leading 2.71 ERA this past season. He finished his

career with a 21-9 mark and 3.44 ERA, while ranking second in school

history with 313 2/3 innings pitched and 253 strikeouts.

Taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 31st round, Massey, who played two

years at the University of Mississippi before transferring to Tennessee,

hit .303 with six home runs and 51 RBI this past season for the Vols. He

was previously drafted in the 18th round by the Chicago Cubs in the 1997

draft.

Four Vol signees were also taken. Those included pitchers David Baum, a

left hander from Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla.,

right hander Matt Samuels from South Virgo High School in Terre Haute,

Ind., right hander Patrick Hicklen from Oakland High School in

Murfreesboro, Tenn., and catcher Javi Herrera from Gulliver Prep in Miami,

Fla.

Baum was a 16th round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Samuels was taken in

the 29th round by the Chicago Cubs, Hicklen was selected by the Los Angeles

Dodgers in the 34th round and Herrera was a 42nd round pick by the Boston

Red Sox.