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SWR grad Tyler Osik drafted by Chicago White Sox in 27th round

The Chicago White Sox selected Shoreham-Wading River graduate Tyler Osik (’14) in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball Draft Wednesday afternoon.

Osik, an infielder/outfielder at the University of Central Florida, was the 800th pick. He recently completed his senior season and final year of eligibility after a winding collegiate career that saw him battle through injuries while making stops at Coker College and Chipola College before landing at UCF. He became a dominant hitter at UCF, leading the team in batting average (.325) this past season while driving in 40 runs in 52 games. He also hit 10 home runs. He led the team with a .542 slugging percentage.

UCF reached the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship last month. The team went 36-22.

As a redshirt junior last year, Osik earned second-team all-conference honors. He’s played all over the field during his college career, from catcher to left field to first base and third base.

Osik had been drafted in the 40th round in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the same team his father Keith played with for the majority of his 10-year big league career. He elected to return to school rather than sign a professional contract at that time to play in the minor leagues. He had hopes of seeing his name called again last spring in a more favorable spot after a strong season at UCF, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Now, he’ll get his chance at professional baseball.

SWR has had several graduates drafted in recent years. Pitcher Mike O’Reilly, a 2012 grad, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. He was released earlier this season after having made it briefly to Triple A in 2018. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Brian Morrell two years ago out of high school. Morrell elected to attend the University of Notre Dame, where he recently finished his sophomore season.

Photo caption: Tyler Osik pictured in 2018 for UCF. (Credit: UCF Athletics)