UPDATE: Mauldin Players Taken in Major League Draft

Update: June 10, 2013: Another former Mauldin High Maverick baseball player has been taken in the Major League draft.

Ben Carlson, a right-handed pitcher now at Furman University, was drafted in the 40th round by the Los Angeles Angels (1207th overall). Carlson prepped at Mauldin and also played at Spartanburg Methodist College.

Original story: A trio of local baseball players were taken Friday in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.

Mauldin High's Cory Thompson was selected as the 165th overall pick in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Thompson, an ace pitcher and prolific hitter for the Mavericks this past season, is also a USC signee. He was taken in the fifth round Friday afternoon.

Thompson posted a 1.70 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 53 innings as a senior at Mauldin High. He also hit .416 this season with 42runs, six homers and 23 RBIs.

In addition to Thompson, Citadel catcher and former Mauldin Maverick, Joe Jackson, was taken in the fifth round by the Texas Rangers with the 160th overall pick.

Joining the pair, former J.L. Mann pitcher Emilio Pagan of Belmont Abbey, was taken as the 297th overall pick in the 10th round by the Seattle Mariners. 

Jackson is the great-great-great nephew of the legendary “Shoeless Joe” Jackson of Greenville, who played in the major leagues from 1908-1920.

“It’s part of my family (history),” Jackson told the Greenville News. “We don’t think about it every day, but now that this pro career is coming up, it’s pretty cool to think about continuing that tradition.”

This season Jackson batted .386 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs, earning him All-Southern Conference and third-team Louisville Slugger All-America honors.

Former J.L. Mann Crusader, Pagan, who signed with Gardner-Webb before transferring to Belmont Abbey, played third base and pitched for the J.L. Crusaders. Seattle drafted him as a pitcher, according to news reports.

In two seasons at Belmont Abbey, Pagan recorded 17 saves with a 2.77 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 51 1⁄3 innings pitched.

He is just the fourth Belmont Abbey player to be drafted and the first since 2010.

“God is great,” Pagan said in a news release. “He has blessed me with a great opportunity. The coaching staff and teammates at Belmont Abbey were the best I could ever dream about. I will miss them and cherish our times together. Thank you to everyone at Belmont Abbey College and the Seattle Mariners.”

Pagan's selection is the highest in Belmont Abbey history.

Another Upstate native, former Greer High standout and current Georgia Tech right-fielder, Daniel Palka, was taken as the 88th overall pick in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.