Pros Pick Three Players; DiMichele Is Not Selected

Harvard's All-American catcher, Pete Varney, is the first round draft choice of baseball's Chicago White Sox and standout pitcher Bill Kelly is the number four pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, but senior Dan DeMichele appears to be something of an unwanted commodity.

DeMichele, the Crimson's power-hitting right fielder, carries a 371 lifetime batting average and last year won the Eastern League and Greater Boston bating titles with a 412 average. And yet the majors passed him by in the secondary-active phase of their annual draft Wednesday.

"It was the worst night of my life," DeMichele said from Omaha after the results of the draft were announced. "I'm shocked. You can't imagine what it feels like when you work to achieve a goal for years and then have the people who know say you can't do it."

Still, DeMichele is determined to make it in the pros. "I really don't know what they want. But I'm going to show them. I'm going to hit .300 in the major leagues. I really feel this deep inside. That's the only thing that keeps me going," he said.

While DeMichele was shunned by the majors, though, teammate Varney-who led Harvard with a .378 career average-went in the first round of the draft which selected 942 prospects over a two-day period.

Varney has declined to sign on the six previous occasions on which he has been drafted, but as a graduating senior he now says he is interested in a baseball career.

Varney and Dartmouth pitcher Pete Broberg were the only two Ivy League players selected in the first round. Broberg signed Friday with the Washington Senators for a reported $200,000.

The only other Harvard player chosen was Kelly, who hurled the Crimson to Friday night's 4-1 victory over Brigham Young in the College World Series for his eighth win against two defeats.

Hockey Takes Two

Harvard claimed another fourth round pick in a different draft Thursday when the Boston Bruins took junior Dave Hynes as a future pick in the professional hockey draft.

Hynes-the most valuable player in the ECAC finals-starred at forward this season and intends to return for his senior year. He is uncertain whether he wants to continue his hockey career into the pro ranks.

In addition to Hynes, teammate Doug Elliott was chosen in the seventh round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.