Two Pepperdine Players Selected in Baseball Draft : Pro baseball: Montreal picks shortstop Martin and the New York Yankees select right fielder Leach.

The telephones didn’t stop ringing at the homes of Pepperdine University baseball players Chris Martin and Jalal Leach.

Martin was flooded with congratulatory calls after being selected in the second round of the amateur draft this week by the Montreal Expos. Leach, however, mostly fielded calls of condolence after being selected by the New York Yankees in the seventh round.

Martin, a senior shortstop, and Leach, a junior right fielder, were projected as third-round draftees by Baseball America.

“Going in the seventh round is definitely lower than I expected,” said Leach, who played at San Marin High in Novato, Calif. “I expected to go in the first four rounds, but for some reason I slipped down to the seventh. I can’t explain it, but it’s very disappointing.”

Yankee scout Bill Schmidt called Leach to tell him about the good news, but Leach said he was expecting to be called earlier in the morning by either the Expos or Seattle Mariners. The Expos and Mariners had shown the most interest in Leach the last month of the season.

Being drafted in the seventh round might mean Leach, 21, will return to Pepperdine for his senior season.

“Unless the Yankees offer me the signing bonus I feel that I’m worth, I’ll be back at school,” he said. “I was all ready to sign and start my professional baseball career. But since I didn’t go in an upper round, I now have to reconsider things.”

Leach wouldn’t disclose how much money the Yankees would need to offer him.

Martin, a graduate of Hamilton High, was selected in the 25th round of last year’s draft by the Yankees. Unhappy, Martin decided to finish his college eligibility in hopes of improving his stock with the scouts.

Although college juniors normally have more signing leverage than seniors, the gamble paid off for Martin.

“I am very happy with the way the draft turned out,” Martin said. “When Montreal called me with the news, I had just awakened. It was a nice wake-up call.”

Martin, 22, said he didn’t have any expectations on the amount of money he’ll receive for signing, but as a second-round choice he knows it will be a substantial amount.

Last year, bonuses for the 23 first-round selections signed by major league teams averaged $183,000.

Martin said he expects to sign within the next week and report to rookie league camp later this month.

The draft caps a rocky month for the two Pepperdine players. The Waves failed to win the West Coast Conference title for the first time in seven years. Their record of 37-23 wasn’t good enough to earn them a bid in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1984.

Martin, a walk-on who ended up being a three-year starter, was voted to the first-team in the WCC and was a second-team all-American in Baseball America. He batted .358 and had 65 runs batted in and 14 home runs. Scouts are impressed with his speed and defensive skills. He is 6-foot and 170 pounds.

Leach, second-team all-WCC and a two-year starter, led Pepperdine in hitting with a .363 average. He had 37 RBI’s and five home runs. At 6-1 and 200 pounds, scouts like his size and batting power.

“I’ve never been able to figure out the draft,” Pepperdine Coach Andy Lopez said. “The most curious things always happen. I did expect Jalal to go higher, but maybe now we’ll get him back for another season. That would be fine with me.”

The draft ended Wednesday, but Major League Baseball only releases first-round selections. Pepperdine seniors Mike Truscke (catcher) and Britt Craven (pitcher) had potential to be drafted in the lower rounds.