Senior first baseman Blake Crosby was selected in the 42nd round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics June 11. He is the second baseball player from Sacramento State to be drafted by a major league team this year.

A native of Cypress, Calif., Crosby had a strong season as a senior with a batting average of .397 and .396 within conference play. He hit a career-high four home runs and 47 RBIs in 2009, hit his first career grand slam on March 24 at Oregon and recorded his first career triple on February 28 at Cal Poly. Crosby even pitched an inning on May 14 at home against Fresno State.

During his previous two seasons at Sac State, Crosby played shortstop and made just 13 errors in 90 starts. During his freshman season at Brigham Young University, Crosby played third base and had a .322 batting average and 23 RBIs.

The A’s picked Crosby’s older brother, Bobby, during the first round of the 2001 draft. Bobby Crosby is now in his sixth season with the A’s.

Crosby’s teammate, junior Tim Wheeler, was drafted by the Colorado Rockies June 9.

“It’s every young baseball player’s dream to go to the majors, ever since their little league days, and now Blake and Timmy are literally living their dream,” said Terry Wanless, director of athletics.

Wanless said he was most pleased with Crosby’s ability to adapt.

“He took the transition well from shortstop to first base and he excepted the coaching that he received,” Wanless said. “Blake has had an outstanding year, he comes from strong baseball background and I am proud of him.”

Crosby, a 2003 graduate of La Quinta High School in Westminster, Calif., played four years at the shortstop position. As a junior, he had a 1.000 fielding percentage and as a senior, he had a .482 batting average. He also earned all-Garden Grove league honors for four consecutive seasons and led the Aztecs to the California Interscholastic Federation Championship with a 30-2 record.

Nick Hunte can be reached at [email protected].