CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois baseball team had four student-athletes drafted Wednesday on Day 3 of the 2019 MLB Draft. Michael Massey (Round 4, Kansas City) and Jack Yalowitz (Round 10, Colorado) were both selected during Day 2, giving Illinois six total draft picks.

The six picks were tied for the second-most in a single draft in Illinois history with 1985. The Illinois record of nine picks was set after the Illini's 50-win season in 2015.

All picks with college eligibility remaining have until July 15 to sign contracts with their drafted clubs. 

* - Illinois signee

Most Illinois Players Drafted in a Year
2015 » 9
2019 » 6
1985 » 6

Illinois Players Drafted by Decade
2010-19 » 30
2000-09 » 17
1990-99 » 19
1980-89 » 19
1970-79 » 4
1960-69 » 8

Illinois Top-10 Round Picks by Decade
2010-19 » 10
2000-09 » 7
1990-99 » 4
1980-89 » 7
1970-79 » 0
1960-69 » 2

SS Ben Troike (Jr.)
Round 11, Overall No. 388, Tampa Bay Rays
Troike has been Illinois' shortstop for the last three seasons, starting 148 games and hitting .266 with 154 hits, 100 runs, six homers and a .962 fielding percentage. Troike's season was cut short this year with an injury after starting 45 games. He was hitting .260 with 13 doubles and two homers before missing the final 12 games of the year. 

Troike was an All-Big Ten second team selection last season and has been an Academic All-Big Ten honoree for the last two years. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

RHP Cyrillo Watson (Jr.)
Round 23, Overall No. 701, Los Angeles Dodgers
Watson has improved every year during his three years in Champaign, totaling nine wins and a 4.70 ERA in 153 1/3 innings. As a weekend starter this season, the right-hander had a 5-2 record and 3.65 ERA in 69 innings with 49 strikeouts. 

Watson was the No. 6 draft prospect in the Big Ten according to D1Baseball during the preseason and was a top 500 prospect in the nation according to Baseball America entering the MLB Draft. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

RHP Quinten Sefcik (Sr.)
Round 24, Overall No. 714, Cincinnati Reds
Sefcik made a career-high 26 appearances in 2019 as Illinois' go-to setup man. He had a 4.15 ERA and 2-1 record to finish his career with a 6-5 record, a 4.64 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 114 1/3 innings. 

Sefcik bumped his velocity to low-mid 90s this season and bettered his command from his first few seasons in Champaign. He projects as a late-inning reliever in pro ball.

OF Zac Taylor (Sr.)
Round 25, Overall No. 762, Chicago Cubs
Taylor was drafted for the second straight year after being picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 36th round last year, after becoming the first player in Illinois history to produce back-to-back 10+ homer/10+ steal seasons. He was an All-Big Ten first team outfielder this season, hitting .321 with 12 doubles, three triples, 10 homers and 29 RBIs. 

Taylor led the Big Ten in steals during the regular season with 20, despite missing 14 games with an ankle injury. The center fielder led Illinois in runs (39), total bases (101), slugging (.612), steals (23), triples (7) and homers in conference games (7). 

Drafted Signees

OF Antoine Mistico (Juco So.)
Round 12, Overall No. 366, Seattle Mariners
Mistico, a 14th round pick by Detroit in 2017, signed with Illinois in April while attending Gateway Community College in Arizona. He hit .364 as a freshman and .340 this season, while combining to go 68-72 in stolen bases over his two seasons in the wood bat ACCAC junior college conference. He is finished third in NJCAA Division II in steals (45-46) this season.

?? @antoinemistico has officially signed with the #Illini.

?? Detroit Tigers' 14th round pick in 2017
?? 52-56 stolen bases in juco
?? 9 HRs in two juco seasons
?? Chandler HS record 33-33 stolen bases pic.twitter.com/74JdAknN5T

— Illinois Baseball (@IlliniBaseball) April 8, 2019