BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Ryan Hamme of Campbell University was selected in the 31st round of the Major League Baseball first-player draft Thursday by the Chicago White Sox. A first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection as an outfielder, Hamme is the first Camel player to be taken in the MLB draft since 2003 when Derek Barrows was a 39th-round choice of the San Francisco Giants.

A senior outfielder-pitcher from Wilmington, N.C., Ashley High School, Hamme, finished the year with a .438 average, fifth-highest in the country and tops in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The first-team all-conference choice led the nation in doubles per game (0.59) and ranked sixth in overall doubles (26 in 43 outings).

He was the 943rd overall pick and will be the 44th Camel player to play Major League-affiliated minor league ball.

"I'm just relieved and excited to have a chance to continue playing baseball," said Hamme. "It was always a dream to play pro ball as a child, but I really didn't consider it to be a possibility until the last two years when Coach Goff and his staff arrived. I loved every minute of it at Campbell, and the last two years were phenomenal. The coaching staff is unbelievable."

Hamme also ranked eighth with a .527 on-base percentage and 10th in runs scored per game (1.39). In addition, despite swinging from the left side of the plate, Hamme led all A-Sun batters with a .590 average against left-handed pitchers.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound outfielder/right-handed pitcher missed seven games as a senior with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury he suffered Mar. 31 at High Point while making a diving catch. He returned to action on Apr. 15 and earned a save in a victory over Charleston Southern.

In 44 games, Hamme racked up 71 hits in 162 at-bats, scored 61 runs and had 26 doubles, four home runs and 51 RBI. His slugging percentage (.673) was second on the team and he struck out only 17 times, while drawing 25 walks. He was hit by 13 pitches and collected seven sacrifice flies, plus four sac bunts, while stealing 15 bases in 17 attempts.

In 18 pitching appearances, including seven starts, he compiled a 3-6 won-lost record with a 6.45 earned-run average, three saves and 65 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 68 1/3 innings.

"It's a great day for Ryan and our program to have him taken in the Major League Draft," said Greg Goff, who just completed his second year as head coach of the Camels. "This is every baseball player's dream and it couldn't have happened to a better person. The commitment and passion Ryan has displayed while being here at Campbell University the last four years has all paid off."

Hamme played in 205 games during his Camel career and finished with a .344 batting average, a school Division I era (since 1978) record 59 doubles, 15 home runs, 151 RBI and 160 runs scored. His career slugging percentage stands a .496, while his career on-base percentage is .418.

The Wilmington native's name dots the Fighting Camel record books. He owns school (Division I era) career marks for doubles (59) and sacrifice flies (15) and shares the record for most times hit by a pitch (32).

Additionally, Hamme stands second in Camel Division I career history in at bats (764), runs (160) and hit (263), while ranking third in RBI (151), fourth in games played (205) and total bases (379) and sixth in steals (42).

Hamme's .438 batting average in 2009 marked the second-highest single-season mark (J.C. Hendrix batted .464 in 1991) in Camel Division I history.

He was a second-team Atlantic Sun all-conference pick and an all-freshman team selection in 2006. Hamme was named all-state and conference MVP as a senior at Ashley High School in 2005.

His bat and legs helped Campbell again rank among the nation's most potent offenses during 2009. At the end of the regular season, the Fighting Camels stood among the nation's top-10 teams in nine different categories and posted the program's first winning record (27-24) since 2001.

Campbell's non-conference victories included a 12-8 triumph at 19th-ranked East Carolina, plus back-to-back wins on the road (7-4) and at home (16-7) over N.C. State in early May.

The Camels broke the school record for stolen bases in a year (117) set by the 2008 team. With 117 thefts in 51 games, the Camels not only led the Atlantic Sun Conference, but ranked eighth among all 288 Division I members. In fact, Campbell swiped more bags than any other A-Sun school attempted.

CU led the nation in times hit by a pitch as a team (123) and for an individual (Chris Bangi with 30). The Camels also stood third nationally in runs scored per game (10.1), while ranking fourth in doubles per outing (2.78) with 142 two-baggers in 51 contests. CU's .346 team batting average rated 10th in the nation and was 26 points higher than its next-closest Atlantic Sun Conference foe at the end of the regular season.

Three of Chicago's six minor league affiliates are located in North Carolina, and two others play in leagues that have North Carolina members. The White Sox' Rookie League affiliates are the Bristol (Va.) White Sox of the Appalachian League and the Great Falls (Mont.) Voyagers of the Pioneer League.

Both of the White Sox' single-A clubs, the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League and the Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League, lie in North Carolina. The Birmingham (Ala.) Barons of the Southern League are Chicago's Double-A club, while the Charlotte (N.C.) Knights of the International League are the Triple-A affiliate.

Former Camel Rob Lyerly, who transferred to Charlotte after the 2007 season, was selected in the sixth round (195th overall) by the New York Yankees. In his lone season in a Campbell uniform, the left-handed batter hit .178 with 1 home run and nine RBI in 24 games as an infielder.

However, Lyerly hit .401 for the 49ers in 2009 as a junior with 12 home runs and a .725 slugging percentage. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors in each of the past two seasons.