The list of current and former Madison College players drafted by big league franchises grew by two in 2019. On Wednesday, June 5, sophomore pitcher Brandon Komar's name was called as a 13th Round selection by the San Diego Padres during the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Later that day, former WolfPack infielder Cade Bunnell was announced as a 40th Round pick of the Atlanta Braves. The duo pushes the list of current and former Madison College players taken in the draft to 29, with Komar becoming the 17th player to be drafted straight from Madison College.

Komar most recently finished a 2-1 season with one save over 13 appearances that saw the righthander work more than 47 innings. The Elkhorn, Wisconsin, native had a 4.34 earned run average, was second on the team with 55 strikeouts, and walked just six batters. As a freshman in 2018, Komar saw action in 18 games and went 6-2 with a team-best four saves en route to a 3.14 ERA, 57 K's, and 21 bases on balls. His final appearance with the WolfPack may have been his best. In a spot start at the NJCAA Division II World Series, the righty turned in a nine-inning performance against Mesa Community College, keeping his team close enough to eventually tie the game in the ninth and then win it dramatically in the 12th. He held the eventual national runner-up Thunderbirds to three runs on eight hits, struck out seven, and walked none.

"Brandon was a large part of our overall team success the past two years," boasts Madison College coach Mike Davenport. "He's extremely talented and had four pitches that are all pro-level pitches. He's also a strike thrower, which was a great benefit to us, and I'm looking forward to seeing what his future holds in professional baseball."

Komar, the 383rd pick overall, is the first player drafted out of Madison College since fellow pitcher Derek Heffel was taken in the 2016 draft. He also supplants Heffel as the third highest selection out of Madison College, trailing Bob Sobczyk's 8th Round pick in 1985 by the Milwaukee Brewers and Travis Thompson's selection in the 12th Round in 1996 by the Colorado Rockies. Komar is also the second Madison College player join the Padres franchise as a draftee, joining 1989 draft choice Brian "Butch" McKeon. The 14th Round pick spent four years in the minors with San Diego and Milwaukee.

Uncommitted to another collegiate program, Komar will sign with the Padres and likely report to the team's Rookie League squads in Arizona.

And two years after donning a WolfPack uniform, former infielder Cade Bunnell was drafted out of NCAA Division I Indiana University with the 1,207th pick of the draft by the Braves. The native of Stoughton, Wisconsin, transferred to Madison College from NCAA Division I Kansas State University and led the 'Pack with eight home runs as he hit .291. He was second on the team with 37 RBI and 34 runs scored before moving on to the Big Ten Conference.

"We only had Cade for a year and he battled an injury, so I wish we had more time on field with him because he was such a great teammate and an extremely talented hitter," stated Davenport. "Cade displayed some of the best power of any player that has been in our program, enjoyed a great postseason for us, and was as clutch a hitter as they come."

Madison College MLB Draftees: By Team | By Year

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