UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (June 4, 2003) - Penn State baseball's junior ace Clayton Hamilton (Beaver Falls, Pa.) had to wait an extra day, but he got the call after he was selected in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday.

Hamilton, who still has the option to come back for his senior season to play for the Nittany Lions, was taken 615th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the eighth selection in the 21st round. The first 20 rounds of the amateur draft were held Tuesday and the final 30 were held Wednesday.

Hamilton posted a 2-3 record this season with 45 strikeouts and a 5.56 ERA in 68.0 innings pitched to help Penn State finish 29-28, good for fourth place in the Big Ten. He also made one appearance in the Big Ten Tournament, in which Penn State took third place.

Hamilton came to the Nittany Lions out of Blackhawk H.S., where he led it to the Pennsylvania Region 8 state championship in 2000 with a 12-5 record and 1.62 ERA during his senior year. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2001 and he was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 1.

He can sign with Pittsburgh or come back to anchor a staff that returns everyone except senior Kevin Damiano (Mt. Airy, Md.).