CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Several Illinois baseball players are preparing for this weekend's Major League Baseball draft, including projected first-round pick Cody Sedlock. The MLB Draft starts Thursday with the first two rounds and continues with rounds 3-10 on Friday and 11-40 on Saturday.

Sedlock, a Baseball America first team All-American, is one of the top collegiate arms in this year's draft. He features a fastball that sits around 94 MPH and also throws a slider, curveball and changeup. Sedlock was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, a unanimous All-Big Ten first team pick and set Illinois's single-season strikeout record with 116.

Last year, Illinois had a program-record nine players drafted, including No. 6 overall pick Tyler Jay. Three players – Jason Goldstein, Adam Walton and Nick Blackburn – elected to return to Illinois after being selected. Seniors Goldstein and Blackburn will look to continue their careers in professional ball, while Walton, a redshirt-junior, could still elect to return to school if he's drafted again this year.

Cody Sedlock
• Projected first-round pick
• All-America first team (Baseball America)
• Big Ten Pitcher of the Year
• Illinois single-season strikeout record holder (116)

Jason Goldstein
• 2015 MLB Draft – 17th round – Los Angeles Dodgers
• All-Big Ten third team catcher
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Senior CLASS Award Finalist
• Led the Illini in batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.402), RBIs (29) and multi-RBI games (7)

Nick Blackburn
• 2015 MLB Draft – 22nd round – New York Mets
• Academic All-Big Ten
• 1-3, 3.73 ERA, 11 SV, 31.1 IP, 24 appearances
• Third in Illinois history in saves in a single season (11)

Adam Walton
• 2015 MLB Draft – 20th round – Baltimore Orioles
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Tied for the team lead in doubles (10)
• Two-time All-Big Ten shortstop

J.D. Nielsen
• Academic All-Big Ten
• 5-1, 3.60 ERA, 5 BB, 34 SO, 30.0 IP, 29 appearances
• 3-0 in Big Ten games
• Third in Illinois history in career appearances (79)

* Did not sign