Lincoln -- University of Nebraska center fielder Jeff Leise (Omaha, Neb.) became the third Husker chosen on the first day of the draft, as he was picked in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres. He joins Aaron Marsden (3rd, Colorado) and Matt Hopper (10th, Philadelphia) as NU?s first-day selections in the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior batted .325 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in his leadoff role this past season, helping Nebraska to a 47-18 record and the school?s second Big 12 title in three years.

A career .346 hitter, Leise was a three-year starter who finished his career ranked second in hits (305), runs scored (210) and triples (20) while stealing 63 bases in 69 attempts. He earned first-team ABCA All-America honors in 2002, tying NU?s single-season record with 109 hits, while hitting 12 homers and driving in 51 RBIs. He was a seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, but elected to return to Nebraska for his senior season.

A two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Leise also excelled in the classroom, where he was two-time first-team Academic All-American and two-time Verizon Academic All-American of the Year.

The 2003 MLB Draft concludes tomorrow with the final 30 rounds.

Leise?s Career Stats
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2000 .211 30-14 71 16 15 2 0 1 14 8 18 1-1
2001 .380 63-57 245 67 93 14 5 7 48 32 36 17-17

2002 .371 67-67 294 69 109 11 8 12 51 32 29 25-27

2003 .325 62-62 271 58 88 10 7 7 37 25 23 20-24

TOTAL .346 222-200 881 210 305 37 20 27 150 97 106 63-69