LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Three members of the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball program are moving onto professional careers after being chosen in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft on Wednesday.

Sophomore second baseman Cam Coursey was taken in the 13th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while senior pitcher Matthew Swain was a 23rd-round selection by the Minnesota Twins. Brock Begue, a member of the 2019 GGC recruiting class, was selected in the 11th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

“It is wonderful to have another three GGC players being selected in the MLB draft, continuing our rich tradition of draft picks from GGC Baseball,” said Head Coach Brad Stromdahl. “We wish all our players the best as they realize their professional dreams, and we look forward to providing opportunities for future GGC players to play in the NAIA World Series before being drafted in each year’s MLB Draft.”

Coursey was the 392nd pick in the draft – the second highest drafted player in GGC history (Josh Merrigan was a 10th-round selection in 2016). The second baseman was named to the Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List by USA Baseball as one of the top amateur players in the country.

Then, the Sugar Hill, Ga., native went out and led the Grizzlies this spring with a .458 batting average, 104 hits, 66 runs and 63 RBI. For his two-year career, Coursey had a .470 batting average and collected 198 hits, including 28 doubles and 14 triples, and 112 RBI in 118 games. He was twice named the Association of Independent Institutions Player of the Year.

“(Coursey’s) impact on the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball program and our entire organization will be felt for years to come. We are grateful to him for helping continue to elevate our program nationally,” said Stromdahl. “We wish him the best in his new venture and look forward to watching him play great baseball in the future.”

Swain was the 689th pick after making 33 appearances on the mound for GGC over the last two seasons, posting four victories and three saves. The Stone Mountain, Ga., native had 28 strikeouts in 26.2 innings with a 4-1 record during the 2019 season.

One of those victories came with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief against Georgetown College (Ky.) to win the Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round. He also recorded a save with 1.1 scoreless innings against Faulkner University (Ala.) in the 2019 Avista NAIA World Series opener.

“Matthew really emerged as our closer in 2019 and helped lead our program to the NAIA World Series,” said Stromdahl.

Begue, a left-handed pitcher from Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio), had a 10-1 record with a 1.61 earned run average this season after being a national junior college All-America selection in 2018.

“We are delighted for Brock and his family,” said Stromdahl. “We were thrilled when he committed to attending GGC. This shows the high quality of players that are now considering to join our program in hopes of continuing our success across the south region and nation.”

Georgia Gwinnett College advanced to the semifinal round of the Avista NAIA World Series for the second consecutive season and reached the World Series for the third time in program history. The 2019 team had a 48-13 record, won the A.I.I. title and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the NAIA Top 25 poll.