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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly senior center fielder Ryan Lee was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 41st round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday.

Lee, the 1,243rd overall selection, broke Cal Poly’s hitting streak record on April 19 when he singled leading off the fourth inning against UC Davis, extending his streak to 26 games. Brandon Roberts held the old mark of 25 games set in 2004. Lee was 47-for-123 (.382) during the streak to lift his batting average 26 points.

Also selected on Thursday was sophomore designated hitter D.J. Gentile in the 43rd round by the Cleveland Indians.

In all, seven Mustangs were chosen in the three-day MLB Draft, one shy of the school record set a year ago. Only four of the eight players drafted in 2008 signed professional contracts. Six Mustangs were drafted in 2006. The total number of Cal Poly players drafted since and including the 2004 season is now 29.

Lee (6-0, 185, Los Altos, CA/St. Francis HS) started all 58 games in center field this year and sported a .328 batting average with 11 doubles, two triples and three home runs. He ended an 0-for-22 slump with two doubles against Pepperdine on May 12 and finished the week 9-for-19 en route to Big West Player of the Week honors.

A fifth-year senior, Lee stole 27 of 30 bases, including four steals against Cal State Bakersfield on March 23, tying a school Division I record. His 27 steals and 30 attempts are No. 2 in Cal Poly’s Division I record book. Roberts was 30-for-38 in 2004.

Lee, a walk-on as a freshman, produced 33 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI contests in 2009 en route to second-team All-Big West Conference honors. He was 7-for-15 in the UC Davis series, 7-for-14 in the Long Beach State series and 5-for-11 in the NCAA Division I Tempe Regional.

Lee earned the team’s Robin Baggett Scholar-Athlete Award and the Jason Maas Captain’s Award. He is a business administration major.

As a junior, Lee hit .357 with 11 doubles, three triples and 21 RBIs, starting 51 games, 13 in left field, two in center field and 36 in right. He hit .292 in 37 games as a sophomore and .273 in 24 games as a freshman after redshirting the 2005 season.

Gentile (6-2, 215, Petaluma, CA/Casa Grande HS) is the 1,295th overall pick. Eligible for the draft as he redshirted the 2007 season at Cal Poly, he broke two school Division I records with three sacrifice flies in a game (against UC Davis on April 18) and 11 for the season, and is ranked No. 1 in the nation in sacrifice flies as of June 9.

Gentile posted a .304 batting average with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs this season, producing 14 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI contests. He was hitting .361 after going 4-for-6 against San Francisco on May 2 but finished the year in a 2-for-34 slump over 11 games, his average dropping 57 points.

Gentile put together a 15-game hitting streak after going 9-for-16 in the Cal State Northridge series and 6-for-14 in the Pacific series. He was named Big West player of the week for his performance in the Cal State Northridge series.

Gentile recorded 14 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI contests. He was 3-for-4 in the second game of the season against Rice and drove in four runs with two hits and a sacrifice fly against Dartmouth. He played in 51 games, including 47 starts, all as designated hitter.

As a freshman, Gentile hit .189 with a double and two triples. He started 11 games, six in right field and five as designated hitter.

Junior Adam Buschini, a starter at five different positions for Cal Poly in 2009, was the first Mustang selected in the 2009 MLB Draft. He was selected in the fourth round Wednesday by the Philadelphia Phillies, the 137th overall selection.

Other Mustangs drafted Wednesday:

Junior shortstop Kyle Smith, 14th round by the Cleveland Indians (425th overall selection).
Senior right-hander Eric Massingham, 25th round by the Philadelphia Phillies (767th).
Junior right-hander Kevin Castner, 26th round by the Texas Rangers (784th).
Senior southpaw Jared Eskew, 29th round by the Florida Marlins (878th).

The first three rounds of the draft, including two supplemental rounds following the first and third rounds, were conducted Tuesday in New York. Rounds four through 30 were held Wednesday with the final 20 rounds on Thursday.

Buschini is the fifth Cal Poly baseball player to be chosen in the fourth round of the MLB Draft. Two former Mustangs were drafted in the first round, one in the second round and five in the third round, including third baseman Brent Morel and center fielder Logan Schafer a year ago.

Mustang catcher John Orton (California Angels, 1987) was the 25th overall selection (first round) while pitcher Garrett Olson (Baltimore Orioles, 2005) was the 48th pick (compensatory round). Infielder Dave Oliver (Cleveland Indians, 1977) was the 53rd overall selection (third round).

Outfielder Grant Desme is fourth on the list of Mustang players drafted, chosen by the Oakland Athletics in the second round (74th overall pick) in 2007, while shortstop Ozzie Smith (San Diego Padres, 1977) was the 86th overall pick (fourth round) and is tied for fifth on the list with Morel (Chicago White Sox). Schafer (Milwaukee Brewers) was the 94th overall pick in 2008.

In terms of rounds, first-rounders Orton and Olson top the list, followed by second-rounder Desme. Five Mustangs have been chosen in the third round -- Morel, Schafer, Oliver, pitcher Gary Daley (third round, 106th overall pick, St. Louis Cardinals, 2006) and relief pitcher Evan Reed (third round (110th overall pick, Texas Rangers, 2007).

With the Buschini pick Wednesday, Cal Poly has had 14 players selected in the first 10 rounds of the last six drafts (2004-09). Three other Mustangs signed free-agent contracts with Major League organizations and three more signed deals with independent league teams.

Cal Poly posted a 37-21 record, finished third in the Big West Conference at 14-10 and qualified for the NCAA regionals for the first time in the school's 15-year Division I history.