More than 1,500 players had their dream come true during the 2011 MLB Draft June 6-8. Among the players taken were two Lions, junior shortstop Justin Boudreaux and senior right handed pitcher Brandon Efferson.

Boudreaux was the first Lion to come off the board on day two of the draft as the Los Angeles Dodgers selected the All Southland Conference shortstop with the 434th overall pick in the 14th round. Efferson heard his name called a day later on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Angels grabbed him in the 37th round. Both players expressed how they are aniticipatating their shots at the bigs.  

“I’m real excited and ready to start playing baseball again,” said Efferson. “I started getting nervous deeper into the draft but I got the call and it felt great. I’m excited about going to a very good organization.”

Boudreaux described his experience as an opportunity he has waited for all his life.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Boudreaux. “It’s every kids dream to play professional baseball and I’m ready to get out there and prove myself.”

Both Boudreaux and Efferson had long successful careers with the Lions program. Boudreaux, who became the eighth consecutive Lion taken in the MLB Draft, completed his junior season at Southeastern hitting .333 with eight homeruns accompanied by 48 RBI in 2011. His 54 scored runs were seventh highest in the SLC and he also ranked in the top 10 in the SLC with a slug percentage of .527.

Efferson, who completed all four years at Southeastern, was a part of the Lions all-time winningest senior class with 144 wins. As a 2007 graduate of Zachary High School Efferson was drafted his senior year of high school by the New York Mets.

“Being the second time I knew what to expect,” said Efferson.

 In his senior season as a Lion Efferson posted an 8-5 record on the mound with a 3.72 earn run average. His 86 strikeouts and eight wins were 5th in the conference earning him second team all SLC honors. Efferson won 24 games in his career bringing him one shy of the school record.

Both players credit Southeastern with their success for their contributions on and off the field.

“The coaching staff at Southeastern has done a great job preparing us for the next level, both on and off the field,” said Beaudreaux.

Efferson added, ” I have to give credit to Coach Artigues, Coach Hill and Coach Riser for everything they did to compare me for the next level.”