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Published Friday, June 12, 2009 in Sports

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Northgate senior Catlin Kendrick, who signed with Kennesaw State, was drafted by the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

Kendrick latest of Northgate’s ‘No. 13’ draftees

By Stuart Crosby

The Newnan Times-Herald

For the second straight season, a member of Northgate’s number 13 club has been selected in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft as pitcher Catlan Kendrick was selected Thursday in the 48th round by the Texas Rangers.

Kendrick, who was 11-2 with an earned run average of 1.85 during the season for the AAAA state champion Northgate Vikings and signed with Kennesaw State University, joins Will Smith and Josh Copeland as Northgate players wearing number 13 who were selected in the draft.

Smith and Copeland were both selections of the Los Angels of Anaheim last year with Smith now pitching in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Angels’ affiliate in the Midwest League while Copeland was an assistant this season at Alabama.

Kendrick is also the fourth Viking to be drafted in the 12 years of the program’s existence as Dominique Partridge was selected by the Atlanta Braves in 2001.

While a number of Cowetans have been drafted over the years, Kendrick is the ninth selection from the county since 2001 joining Newnan’s Chris Colton (Seattle 2002) and four East Coweta grads in Brad Emaus who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007 and by the Braves in 2004, Kieron Pope by the Baltimore Orioles in 2005 while the Braves made Brett Butts and Rico Reid among their choices in 2007.

A number of area players were also selected over the course of the three day draft including outfielder Braxton Lane of Region 5-AAAA’s Sandy Creek Patriots who was chosen by the Texas Rangers.

The seventh round pick in the draft, Lane participated in the 2008 AFLAC All-American game and has signed a football scholarship from the University of Oregon.

Lane’s Patriot teammate infielder Arthur Owens was selected in the draft as the Kansas City Royals selcted him in the 38th round.

Another rival of the Vikings that also saw a player have his name called as Whitewater’s Miles Head was picked in the 26th round by the Boston Red Sox.

Due to injuries suffered by the Wildcats, Head caught, played third base and even pitched including a quality start in a 4-1 loss to Kendrick and the Vikings on March 29.

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