Columbia outfielder Dario Pizzano was selected by the Seattle Mariners in MLB’s amateur draft this evening in the 15th round, 461st overall.

Pizzano was recently named Ivy Player of the Year following his junior season in which he anchored the Lions’ offense with a .360 average, 16 doubles, 36 RBIs, and 31 walks. He also tied Gene Larkin on Columbia’s all-time home run list with 25 home runs.

If Pizzano were to sign with the Mariners, the Light Blue would surely miss its two-time team MVP. He was slated to play in the elite Cape Cod League this summer.

While the Mariners along with his hometown team, the Red Sox, were the front-runners to draft Pizzano, there was speculation that he could have been drafted within the first ten rounds. Despite being named the Ivy player of the year, four Ivy players were taken on Tuesday before Pizzano: Yale pitchers Pat Ludwig and Nolan Becker, Princeton pitcher Matt Bowman, and Dartmouth shortstop Joe Sclafani.

Pizzano is the first Columbia Lion taken in the MLB draft since 2004.

There is also a possibility that Columbia pitcher Pat Lowery may be drafted at some point in the final 25 rounds of the draft on Wednesday.

Update: Pat Lowery has been selected in the 21st round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Lowery is coming off an an All-Ivy season, posting a career-low 2.35 ERA with a 4-4 record. He was named Ivy League Pitcher of the Year in 2010, his sophomore year.

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