DENVER – University of South Alabama outfielders Ethan Wilson and Michael Sandle were selected on day two of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. 

The Philadelphia Phillies took Wilson with the 49th overall pick, which came in round two. It marked the highest a Jaguar has been drafted since Travis Swaggerty was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. The Houston Astros selected Sandle in the 10th round (298th overall) of the draft.

"First of all, I just want to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play this game," Wilson said. "I want to thank my family, friends and coaches who have made sacrifices for me to be where I am today. I'm just so excited to be a part of the Phillies organization. I'm ready to get to work and prove that I belong. There are just a lot of emotions right now. I don't really know what to think, but I am super excited and ready to make that next step in my career."

Wilson batted .318 with 13 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 34 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, .528 slugging percentage and .419 on-base percentage in 57 games in 2021 en route to first-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors. He ranked second on the team with 21 multiple-hit games, and also had nine multi-RBI contests.

In 131 career games at South Alabama, Wilson hit .325 with 33 doubles, eight triples, 28 home runs, 97 RBIs, 111 runs scored and 22 stolen bases while posting a .588 slugging percentage and .423 OBP. 

In 2019, Wilson was named the Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman of the Year, SBC Player and Freshman of the Year, First-Team Freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Third-Team All-America by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings, First-Team All-Central Region and first-team all-Sun Belt Conference.

Sandle batted .313 with 11 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 50 RBIs, 52 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, a .522 slugging percentage and .389 OBP in 58 games. He led the Jags with a .323 batting average in Sun Belt contests, and ended the 2021 season having reached base safely in 27 consecutive games.

In 179 career games at USA, Sandle batted .291 with 35 doubles, seven triples, 21 home runs, 132 RBIs, 125 runs scored and 34 stolen bases. He was named to the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship all-tournament team, and was also selected to the all-tournament team at the NCAA Gainesville (Fla.) Regional.

"It means a lot. I've been looking forward to this moment my whole life," Sandle said. "Just to have this moment and enjoy it is nice, but it's not the end for me. I'm going to keep going. I'm just excited to start something new and take advantage of this opportunity."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Dugout Club - the baseball-specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members enjoy all games from inside the Stadium Club with climate control, private restrooms, private concessions and access to listen to the radio broadcast. All donations to the Dugout Club go directly to support the South Alabama baseball program. For more information on how you can join visit JaguarAthleticFund.com.