Angels Use No. 1 Draft Selection on Nebraska Outfielder Erstad : Baseball: Dodgers pick Florida State left-hander David Yocum; USC’s Jenkins, Long Beach State’s Liefer go in first round.

Recruited to punt for Nebraska’s football team, Darin Erstad decided to play baseball for the Cornhuskers because he loved the sport.

The decision paid off for Erstad on Thursday, when the Angels made him the No. 1 selection in the amateur baseball draft.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” he said. “The money’s not going to change who I am. I play the game because I love it.”

Catcher Ben Davis of Malvern Prep outside of Philadelphia, the second player selected in the draft, received a $1.3-million signing bonus from the San Diego Padres.

Erstad, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior outfielder, hit .410 with 19 homers and 76 RBIs in 58 games this season en route to becoming co-player of the year in the Big Eight.

The Angels don’t plan to rush him.

“There is no timetable,” said Bob Fontaine, the Angels’ assistant vice president of scouting and player personnel. “Everybody’s on their own timetable. And the day that he’s ready to play in the major leagues is when he’s ready to play in the major leagues.”

The Dodgers selected left-handed pitcher David Yocum of Florida State with the 20th pick.

“I can’t be more excited than I am right now,” he said. “It’s just been an unbelievable day. It’s something that I’m not going to forget for a long, long time.”

Yocum, a 6-1, 180-pound sophomore, was 12-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 17 starts for Florida State, which faces Oklahoma today in the College World Series at Omaha.

“Realistically, we didn’t think he would be available at the time of our pick,” said Terry Reynolds, Dodger scouting director. “We had him as one of the top couple of left-handed pitchers in the country.”

USC junior outfielder Geoff Jenkins, who led the Trojans into the College World Series, was the ninth player selected in the first round, going to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Co-player of the year in the Pacific 10, he hit .389 with 19 homers and 69 RBIs.

“Oh man, this is a big-time dream,” he said. “It’s everyone’s dream just to get drafted, but to be [at the College World Series] and get the call is outstanding. It’s everything a kid ever wants.”

Another local college player taken in the first round was Long Beach State third baseman-outfielder Jeff Liefer, who went to the Chicago White Sox as the 25th selection.

Liefer, a 6-3, 195-pound junior, hit .354 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.

Two other Trojans selected were shortstop Gabe Alvarez by the San Diego Padres in the second round and pitcher Ben Tucker by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round.

The Dodgers selected right-handed pitcher Darrin Babineaux of Southwest Louisiana in the second round and Onan Masaoka, a left-hander from Waikea High in Hilo, Hawaii, in the third round.

The Dodgers also selected three local players--Canoga Park Faith Baptist outfielder Judd Granzow in the fourth round, Chatsworth first baseman Jon Tucker in the eighth round and Oxnard Rio Mesa infielder Eric Flores in the 16th round.

Other local players selected included catcher Craig Wilson of Huntington Beach Marina High, in the second round by Toronto; pitcher Eric Ireland of Long Beach Millikan, in the second round by the Houston Astros; Van Nuys Montclair Prep center fielder Darrell Dent, in the third round by the Baltimore Orioles; Sepulveda Monroe right-handed pitcher Wayne Nix, in the fourth round by the Oakland Athletics, and Ventura College pitcher Brandon Knight, in the 14th round by the Texas Rangers.

The A’s also selected two Pepperdine players, junior outfielder Ryan Christenson in the 10th round and left fielder David Newhan in the 17th round.

The Angels selected pitcher Jarrod Washburn from Wisconsin Oshkosh in the second round.

Eighteen rounds were conducted Thursday. The draft continues through Saturday.

* Times staff writers Ross Newhan, Bob Nightengale, Elliott Teaford and Jeff Fletcher contributed to this story.

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Locals Only

A look at first-round selections that involved Southland teams and prospects:

* 1. Angels: Darin Erstad (OF), Nebraska

* 2. San Diego Padres: Ben Davis (C), Malvern, Pa., Prep

* 5. Oakland A’s: Ariel Prieto (RHP), Palm Springs (Western League)

* 6. Florida Marlins: Jaime Jones (OF), Rancho Bernardo HS, San Diego

* 9. Milwaukee Brewers: Geoff Jenkins (OF), USC

* 18. New York Mets: Ryan Jaroncyk (SS), Orange Glen HS, Escondido

* 20. Dodgers: David Yocum (LHP), Florida State

* 25. Chicago White Sox: Jeff Liefer (3B-OF), Long Beach State

* 26. Atlanta Braves: Chad Hutchinson (RHP), Torrey Pines HS