The top pitcher in University of Illinois Springfield baseball history became the first Prairie Stars player selected in the Major League Baseball draft on Wednesday. Andrew Dean heard his name called by the San Diego Padres in the 18th round.
 
Dean went 12-0 this past season and had a 2.77 ERA. He struck outs 118 batters in 91 innings, and opponents hit just .217 off of him. He was the GLVC Pitcher of the Year, and the first Prairie Stars pitcher to earn All-American accolades.
 
In two years at UIS, Dean went 22-1 with a 2.83 ERA. He pitched 168 1/3 innings, and struck out 192 batters. Opponents batted just .213 against him, and he had a career 1.14 WHIP. Dean is the school's career leader in wins, opponent batting average, and shutouts, and is in the top-five for ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, and total strikeouts.
 
Dean's two seasons at UIS were the top two years in program history. UIS went 88-26-1 in 2018 and 2019, and advanced to two NCAA Regional Tournaments, and this year's NCAA Super Regional. UIS won the 2018 GLVC Regular Season Championship, and this season finished one win away from a second regular season title, and was runner-up in the conference tournament.
 
Dean was the first player from the GLVC selected in this year's baseball draft. He will become the second UIS player to sign with a MLB organization, joining Cole Taylor who signed as a free agent last year with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.