Index of Sports Press Releases

June 9, 2009

Former DWU pitcher Jukich continues climb toward majors

Ben Jukich

MITCHELL, S.D. – Exactly three years ago, Dakota Wesleyan University star pitcher Ben Jukich was drafted in the 13th round of Major League Baseball’s 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Jukich is still the only DWU and Great Plains Athletic Player ever selected in the MLB draft, and three years into his professional career he has continued to show the form that made him a record-breaking All-American for the Tigers.

Cincinnati Reds’ minor leaguer Ben Jukich pitches for Dakota Wesleyan during his record-setting 2006 season.

Currently, the 6-5 left-handed pitcher is splitting time between starting and relieving for the Cincinnati Reds’ top minor league affiliate, the Triple-A International League Louisville Bats. Jukich was promoted to the Bats late last season after a stellar season with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, and he has continued to pitch well despite shuffling between the rotation and the bullpen.

This season, Jukich has pitched in 14 games, starting three, with a 4-2 record and a 4.86 ERA. He has allowed 20 earned runs on 40 hits with 22 strikeouts and 13 walks in 37.0 innings. However, Jukich has thrived in his natural role as a starter. In his three starts, he is a perfect 3-0 with a microscopic 1.00 ERA. In his three starts, Jukich has allowed just two runs on 15 hits with 10 strikeouts and five walks over 18.0 innings.

It’s possible the Reds organization has been trying out the Dakota Wesleyan alum in a relief role because of the club’s abundance of good, young starters, and the premium placed on left-handed relievers. Cincinnati has two outstanding young major league starters in Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez and solid veterans in Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, and Jukich is one of several promising prospects in the Reds’ system. It’s possible, with his success in the minors, that the Reds are preparing Jukich to make the final jump up the organization’s ladder in either role.

For those who saw him pitch for Dakota Wesleyan in 2006, Jukich’s success probably isn’t surprising. That season, he earned NAIA All-American Honorable Mention while winning 10 games and leading the nation with 144 strikeouts. The 144 punch outs and his single-game record of 17 strikeouts still stand in the DWU record books, and his 10 wins remain tied for the best mark in school history.

Those numbers led to Oakland drafting Jukich in the 13th round, and he had a productive first summer of professional baseball. He earned two saves in 8.1 innings with a 3.24 ERA for Class A Short-Season Vancouver and he was 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 41.2 innings for Class A Kane County.

In 2007, he started with the A’s Class A Advanced club and posted a 3-4 record with a 5.40 ERA in 12 starts, but on June 12 he was traded to Cincinnati as the “player to be named later” along with pitcher Marcus McBeth in exchange for outfielder Chris Denorfia. After the trade, Jukich went 8-2 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds’ Class A Advanced club. He had a streak of 20 scoreless innings, and his season highlight was seven innings of no-hit ball in the Florida State League playoffs.

Jukich established himself as a bona fide major league prospect in 2008 with strong showings at Double A Chattanooga and Triple A Louisville. He started 23 games for the Lookouts, going 10-4 with a 3.82 ERA with 111 strikeouts and 54 walks in 139 innings. He was selected as the starter for the Southern League All-Star Game, and he earned the win with one perfect inning. He was named the Reds’ Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Month for May and he finished tied for fourth in the Southern Leauge in wins and eighth in ERA.

After his promotion to Louisville, Jukich was 1-1 in four starts with a 4.37 ERA. He struck out 15 with just four walks in 22.2 innings. Overall in 2008, he finished 11-5 with a 3.90 ERA with 126 strikeouts.

Three years into his career, Jukich has compiled some impressive statistics. Overall, he is 29-15 with a 3.95 ERA. He has appeared in 83 games, starting 60, with three complete games and one shutout. In 383.0 career innings, Jukich has allowed 168 earned runs on 387 hits with 315 strikeouts and 143 walks.

It certainly has been exciting for Dakota Wesleyan fans and alumni to follow the former Tigers’ ascent through the minor leagues, and with the Major Leagues just one injury or one hot streak away, DWU and the Mitchell baseball community will continue to follow Jukich with dedicated anticipation and fond reminiscences of the lefty’s dominant days on the mound at Cadwell Park.