Former Oilman Jimmy Govern Selected in MLB Draft Whiting, Ind. – June 5, 2019 – The list of former Northwest Indiana Oilmen players who have gone on to be selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft received a new name on Wednesday. Former Oilmen infielder Jimmy Govern (Eastern Illinois Libertyville, Ill.) was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the 30th round. This marks the fourth straight year at least one Oilmen alum has been drafted. Govern batted .326 with 16 doubles, 16 home runs and 52 RBIs for the Panthers this season and finished fourth in program history in career home runs with 35. He was a two-time First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection and was recently named a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. A member of the 2016 Oilmen team that went on to win the MCL title, Govern’s stay with NWI was limited to nine games due to an injury. When he was healthy, he compiled a .308 batting average and drove in 10 runs while scoring five others in just 31 plate appearances. A highlight of Govern’s Oilmen tenure came on June 2, 2016 at Bloomington, when his single in the seventh inning was the only Oilmen hit of the day in a seven-inning contest, the second game of a doubleheader. His base hit, which came in a 2-0 defeat, prevented the Oilmen from being no-hit for the first time in team history. Govern joins Marshawn Taylor (2018), Craig Dedelow (2017 & 2016), Donivan Williams (2017) and Enrique Zamora (2016) as players who have gone on to be drafted after their Oilmen careers. In addition, Jake Plastiak (2018), Taylor (also drafted out of high school in 2013), Brandon Murray (2014) and Larry Crisler (2014) were selected in the MLB Draft prior to their Oilmen debuts. |