LSU outfielder Jared Mitchell agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.The 20-year-old New Iberia native will forego his senior season with the Tigers and join Chicago’s Class A affiliate in Kannapolis, N.C., on Thursday.Mitchell was the first Tiger selected in last month’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the White Sox chose him No. 23 overall.”We’re very pleased that he was in our program for three years and developed into a first-round draft choice,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said in a news release. “He was vital to our success, and he will always be a part of our program. All of us at LSU wish him the best during his professional career.”Mitchell and fellow outfielder Chad Jones became the first two student-athletes to win both a BCS national championship and a College World Series when the LSU baseball team won the title two weeks.LSU first baseman and catcher Sean Ochinko signed with the Toronto Blue Jays last week.Junior designated hitter Blake Dean, junior infielder and left fielder Ryan Schimpf and sophomore infielder DJ LeMahieu were also selected in June’s draft and could forego their remaining eligibility by reaching terms on contracts before August 15.Pitcher Louis Coleman was the only Tiger senior selected in the draft.—-Contact The Daily Reveille sports staff at [email protected]
Jared Mitchell signs professional contract with White Sox
July 8, 2009