Jordan Zimmermann (Auburndale/Auburndale) became the highest major league baseball draft choice in UW-Stevens Point history when the junior righthanded pitcher was selected in the second round of Thursday's amateur draft by the Washington Nationals.

Zimmermann was the 67th overall selection and the third pick of the second round. The draft consisted of 30 first round picks and 34 "sandwich round" choices awarded to teams which lost free agents during the off season.

An Auburndale native, Zimmermann is UW-Stevens Point's first major league draft choice since Chris Simonson was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999.

He was the first player from the state of Wisconsin chosen in this year's draft after attracting attention from scouts all season long. Zimmermann responded to the hype by finishing 10-0 with two saves and a 2.08 ERA in 13 appearances. He had 90 strikeouts and 18 walks and was also the team's leading hitter with a .385 batting average and seven home runs. Zimmermann was recently named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Division III World Series where the Pointers placed third while finishing the season with a 34-17 overall record.

Zimmermann will be offered a contract and can choose to sign with the Nationals and report to a minor league team this summer or return for his senior season next year at UW-Stevens Point. He may be assigned to the Nationals' short season Class A team, the Vermont Lake Monsters, who play in the New York-Penn League in Winooski, Vt. Washington also has a rookie league team in Viera, Fla. in the Gulf Coast League and a Class A affiliate in Hagerstown, Md. in the South Atlantic League.