By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

Former Oak Mountain High School baseball standout Kevin Patterson was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft on June 7 following his senior season at Auburn University.

Patterson, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound first baseman, was selected by the Blue Jays with pick No. 919 in the 30th round of the draft.

For his four-year career, in which he was a team captain for each of the last three, Patterson hit .271 with 36 doubles, five triples and his 35 home runs, collecting a .520 slugging percentage. Patterson’s 35 career home runs rank him eighth all-time in Auburn history.

Patterson, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with pick No. 701 in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft before turning down a contract offer and returning to Auburn for his senior season, finished with a .277 batting average and a team-high eight home runs while driving in 43 runs as a senior.

Patterson was also drafted by the Chicago White Sox with pick No. 749 in the 24th round of the 2007 MLB Draft following his senior season at Oak Mountain, where hit finished with a .392 career batting average and 25 home runs while driving in 107 runs under former Eagles’ coach and Auburn baseball standout Tommy Youngblood.

Patterson batted .315 with 16 home runs and 33 RBIs as a junior in 2010. Patterson was named to the Southeastern Conference first team as a designated hitter following his junior campaign. Patterson hit a home run in every 7.75 at bats as a junior, which set a school record, and batted .407 during the Tigers’ SEC slate.

Patterson finished 4-for-10 at the plate with three doubles in the NCAA Regional at Auburn.

Patterson finished with a .231 batting average and six homers while driving in 18 runs as a sophomore.

Patterson batted .255 with five home runs and drove in 26 runs as a freshman in 2008. Patterson hit the first homer of his career in his second at-bat of the season in the Tigers’ win over East Tennessee State on Feb. 22.

Patterson finished with a .440 batting average and nine home runs while driving in 35 runs in 20 games during his senior season at Oak Mountain, which was cut short due to a wrist injury. Patterson finished runner-up in the National High School Home Run Derby in 2007.