Ex-Falcon Whitmore Taken in MLB Draft

Centerville -- Travis Whitmore, a former all-region baseball player at Indian Hills Community College, was chosen by the San Diego Padres on the final day of the Major League Baseball Draft. He was the Padres’ 35th-round pick.

Whitmore played the past two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh and helped lead the Panthers to the Big East championship both years. This season, he played in all 56 games, including 55 starts at second base, and batted .336. Whitmore led Pitt in at-bats (211), stolen bases (12) and sacrifice flies (9). He also had four homers and 41 RBIs and tied for second on the team with 71 hits.

As a junior, Whitmore hit .369 with three homers and a team-leading six triples to go along with 46 RBIs. He finished his two-year career at Pitt with 10 triples, ranking third all-time.

A Burlington native, Whitmore enjoyed two solid seasons at Indian Hills. He batted over .300 both years -- .389 as a sophomore following a .301 freshman season. He was named to the all-region and all-district teams as a soph after leading the squad in eight offensive categories.

Whitmore played both first base and third base with the Falcons before settling in as the regular second baseman at Pittsburgh.

Panthers’ head coach Joe Jordano said, “I believe Travis is versatile enough to play a few different positions and that adds to his value. He is a talented player and will do a great job at the next level.”

Indian Hills had two former players, Bill Schroeder and Thomas Pereira, drafted last year and another ex-Falcon, Nick Nordgren, signed as a free agent.

There are five former IHCC players playing in the minor leagues. They are Irving Falu, Ruben Gotay, Justin Berg, Brock Kjeldgaard and Ray Kruml. Berg has had two separate stints this season in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen.