AUBURN, Ala. – Junior shortstop Will Holland and right-handed pitcher Davis Daniel were selected during the second day of the 2019 MLB Draft Tuesday afternoon.
Holland was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round with the 149th overall pick, while Daniel was taken by the Los Angeles Angles in the seventh round with the 211th overall pick.
It marks the first time Holland has been drafted and the third time Daniel has been selected. Daniel was also drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 34th round out of high school in 2016 and by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round a season ago.
Auburn has now had at least one player drafted in 45 consecutive MLB drafts dating back to the 1975 season, tied with Arkansas for the longest streak in SEC history.
Holland becomes Auburn's highest drafted position player since outfielders Anfernee Grier and Joshua Palacios were selected in the first and fourth rounds, respectively, in 2016. Holland also becomes the first Auburn shortstop drafted since Casey McElroy was taken in the 11th round in 2011.
As a sophomore, the Lawrenceville, Georgia, native ranked second on the team with a .313 batting average and turned in career highs in doubles (18), home runs (12) and RBI (52). He went on to be named Second Team All-SEC, First Team All-South Region and a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.
This season, Holland leads the team with nine home runs and is tied for the team lead with 14 stolen bases. Holland has been instrumental in the team's second straight regional title as he leads the team with a .305 average to go along with seven home runs and 16 RBI in the last 23 games.
Holland has played in 170 games in his three season on The Plains and has totaled 159 hits, including 34 doubles and 24 home runs, to go along with 129 runs scored, 100 RBI and 27 stolen bases.
Daniel was the Opening Day starter for Auburn entering the 2019 season but exited his first start with an elbow injury and underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in April.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native made 17 appearances and 16 starts as a freshman in 2017 before making 19 appearances and 10 starts a season ago. As a sophomore, Daniel was instrumental in the team's first super regional appearance since 1999 as he allowed just five earned runs and struck out 25 batters in his last six relief appearances and 18.1 innings pitched, including 5.1 scoreless innings of relief in the decisive game three of the Gainesville Super Regional.
Daniel made 37 career appearances and 27 starts for the Tigers, posting a 7-7 record and 5.37 ERA to go along with 135 strikeouts in 139.0 innings.