Augusta State junior outfielder Shannon Wilkerson returned home to Dacula, Ga., this week to watch the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft with friends and family.
By the early part of Day 2, it just became too much for him.
"I watched the fourth round (Wednesday), and after that I had to get away from the computer," he said. "I got it all pulled up on the computer for my parents, and then I just walked away. I couldn't watch."
Projected to go early on the second day, Wilkerson went in the eighth round when the Boston Red Sox pulled the trigger with the 258th overall pick. Wilkerson said he was sitting on the couch when he got the phone call.
"I finally got the call from the Red Sox when they were about 10 picks away," he said. "They asked me about it, and I said, 'Let's do it.' "
Wilkerson became the highest- drafted player in Augusta State's baseball history. JuJu Foreman (2000) and Mitch Douglas (2002) were the previous top draft picks as 12th-rounders.
Wilkerson's record-setting selection was no surprise to Jaguars head coach Skip Fite. Fite watched Wilkerson show enough offensive strength this past season to be named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year by both the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Fite also saw pro scouts show up at games to watch him.
"They called him a 4.5- to 5-tool player," he said. "They saw those tools, the speed, the power, the arm strength ... being able to play defense and his strength. It's all there."
Wilkerson, the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year after hitting .441 and 24 homers, said his time at Augusta State helped him reach his goal to become a professional baseball player.
"This past year was big for me," he said. "I learned how to be a leader. Some of the other guys looked up to me, and I had to learn how to be in that role. So I matured a lot."
Wilkerson, 20, said the White Sox and Braves also expressed interest in him, but said he ended up with the right team.
"The Boston Red Sox were definitely the front runner for me," he said. "Now I'm ready to sign early and move on."
Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.
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