DALLAS – Conference USA had both of its Preseason Players of the Year selected in the very abbreviated 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, which concluded Thursday evening.  MLB's Draft usually consists of 40 rounds, however, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this year's draft was shortened to five rounds.
 
FIU junior LHP Logan Allen became the third-highest Panthers baseball player ever selected in the draft, being taken by the Cleveland Indians with the No. 56 overall pick in the second round.  That also marked the earliest that a C-USA pitcher has been taken in the draft since 2014 when East Carolina’s Jeff Hoffman went in the first round.
 
Allen led all Conference USA hurlers with 41 strikeouts over 25.2 innings and an opponent batting average of .183 in the shortened 2020 season.  After being named C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Allen earned a 2-1 record in four appearances with a 2.45 ERA.  The junior lefty ranks sixth in FIU program history with 246 strikeouts and became the first Panther to make the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2019. Allen was also a former freshman All-American and two-time C-USA All-Conference selection
 
Rice shortstop Trei Cruz opened the third round being selected by the Detroit Tigers (73 overall), keeping alive the goal of being a third generation Major Leaguer.  He is the son of former major league player and Rice first round draft pick Jose Cruz, Jr.  His grandfather, Jose Cruz Sr., collected 2,251 hits in 19 Major League seasons, spending 13 of those 19 seasons with the Houston Astros, and his No. 25 hangs in Minute Maid Park after being retired by the team.
 
Cruz placed second on the team in hitting (.328, 19-of-58) when the season came to an early end.  He led the Owls in doubles (7), runs (9) and RBI (8) and also topped the team, and ranked among the Conference USA leaders in walks (18) for a team-best .487 on-base percentage.  The former freshman All-American and All-Conference USA selection closed his Rice career batting .296 with 55 extra-base hits (31 doubles, 8 triples, 16 homers) and 97 RBI in 131 games played.  Cruz also drew 93 career walks, giving him a .406 career on-base percentage. Early in the 2019 season he was named college baseball's National Player of the Week after driving in nine runs in a nine-inning game.
 
C-USA’S 2020 MLB DRAFT PICKS
 
Rd.     Player                                     Pos.           School                        MLB Team
2         Logan Allen                            LHP           FIU                              Cleveland Indians
3         Trei Cruz                                SS             Rice                             Detroit Tigers