The Southwestern Athletic Conference saw five baseball student-athletes drafted in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

Southern University junior catcher Michael Thomas was taken in the 14th round of the draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Thomas (R/R, 6-4, 220, Houston, TX) led the Jags in hitting in 2009, with a .365 batting average. Thomas missed a portion of the 2009 season with a broken hand, suffered in his first at-bat versus New Orleans on March 24th .In his SU career, Thomas hit 15 home runs and had 71RBI's.The electrical engineering major played in the prestigious Cape Cod summer League in 2008.

Thomas is the 29th SU player to be drafted since the 2000 season.

Mississippi Valley State's Jeff Squier was drafted in the 14th round as well. The shortstop was selected by the Colorado Rockies.

A team leader who started all 50 games for the Delta Devils this season, Squier concluded his season with a .347 batting average, a .593 slugging percentage (8th in SWAC) and a .429 on-base mark. Squier scored 39 runs, collected 58 hits including five triples (2nd in SWAC) and eight home runs (t-4th in SWAC), drove in 26 runs and had a league-leading 41 stolen bases.

Squier batted .594 versus left-handers (1st in SWAC) and was third in the league in hitting with two outs (.439).He went 4-for-4 with three runs and three runs batted in against Alcorn State (March 29) and was 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBI (including two home runs) at Southern Mississippi. He also scored four runs and drove in three at Grambling State on April 29.

In two seasons, he played in 92 games starting 90. He had a career batting average of .332 at MVSU with 42 RBI, 10 home runs and 18 doubles. He stole 55 bases and had a career fielding percentage of .921. On the mound, he went 1-2 in 11 appearances pitching 22 1/3 innings allowing seven walks and 13 strikeouts.

A pair of Prairie View A&M players will be heading to big league this year.

Junior center fielder Myrio Richard was Prairie View's highest draft pick as he was selected in the ninth round by the Oakland Athletics. Richard, a native of Lake Charles, La., earned 2009 All-SWAC Second Team honors in addition to being named as the SWAC's Preseason Player of the Year. He finished the 2009 campaign with a .315 batting average, 33 RBIs, nine doubles and six home runs.

Unlike most draft picks at the beginning of their professional career, Richard will have a leg up on most of his peers as he's the second member of his family to play professional baseball. Richard's brother, Michael, was also selected by the A's in the 11th round of the 2007 draft and is currently playing with the Stockton Ports on the Class A level.

Prairie View A&M's Brandon Whitby was picked in the 34th round by the Colorado Rockies.

A senior from Phoenix, Ariz., Whitby was a four-year starter at catcher and capped off his career with a spot on the 2009 All-SWAC First Team after batting .375 with 57 hits, 38 RBIs and 12 doubles. A valuable asset to Prairie View's pitching staff over the course of his career; Whitby helped several former Panther pitchers earn All-SWAC honors due to his ability to call pitches from behind the plate.

Rounding out the 2009 SWAC draft class was Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Zachary Varnell.

Varnell was drafted in the 44th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Varnell, a 6-2, 225 pound catcher from Pine Bluff, Arkansas had a stellar senior campaign as a member of a UAPB baseball team that set school records in conference victories (13) and overall wins (21).