Dragons Officially Activate #1 Draft Pick Nick Howard

July 18, 2014

DAYTON, OHIO-The Dayton Dragons announced the following roster transactions today:

Right-handed pitcher Nick Howard has been promoted to Dayton from the AZL Reds.

Right-handed pitcher Sal Romano has been placed on the temporarily inactive list due to a death in the family.

The Dragons roster remains at the Midwest League limit of 25 players.

Howard is expected to make his professional baseball debut tonight for the Dragons at Beloit, Wisconsin against the Beloit Snappers. He was the 19th overall selection in the 2014 draft out of the University of Virginia, where he helped his team to the final game of the NCAA College World Series. He served as his team's closer this season, appearing in 31 games with 20 saves to break the all-time Atlantic Coast Conference record for single season saves. He posted a 2-2 record and a 1.91 earned run average. He was named a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American.

Howard becomes the 12th Reds first round draft pick to play for the Dragons (see complete list below). Among other past #1 picks with the Dragons were Austin Kearns, Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco, Robert Stephenson, and current Dragons Nick Travieso and Phillip Ervin.

FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS WITH THE DRAGONS (Year Drafted in Parenthesis)

2000 Austin Kearns (1998), Ty Howington (1999)

2001 David Espinosa (2000)

2002-'03 Chris Gruler (2002)

2005 Homer Bailey (2004)

2006 Jay Bruce (2005)

2007 Drew Stubbs (2006)

2008 Devin Mesoraco (2007)

2012 Robert Stephenson (2011)

2013 Robert Stephenson (2011), Nick Travieso (2012), Phillip Ervin (2013)

2014 Nick Travieso (2012), Phillip Ervin (2013), Nick Howard (2014)

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