Abilene Christian University catch Ian Tomkins was selected June 8 by the defending American League East Division champion Tampa Bay Rays in the 50th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
A native of Wilmette, Ill., Tomkins transferred to ACU after two years at Wake Forest University, helping lead the Wildcats to their first 50-win season in 2010, along with a Lone Star Conference title and the championship game of the NCAA Division II South Central Region. He hit .307 with 50 RBI during his junior and senior seasons.
While he was in high school, Prep Baseball Report ranked Tomkins the No. 1 catcher and 11th-ranked player in Illinois. He led Wake Forest in hitting (.355 batting average) as a freshman in 2008. Tomkins is the first ACU player drafted since the Milwaukee Brewers selected Trey Watten in the seventh round in 2008. Watten is a pitcher for the Brevard County Manatees, a high Class A minor league affiliate of the Brewers in the Florida State League.