Named second-team All-America by Ping!Baseball and Collegiate Baseball News, AJ Kirby-Jones was drafted in June by the Oakland A’s in the fifth round of the MLB First-Year Player draft as pick number 275. A utility player out of Knoxville, AJKJ slugged a monumental .859 as Tech’s designated hitter - a statistic that ranked second in the NCAA, led the Ohio Valley Conference and shattered the single-season school record. His career slugging percentage of .686 is tied for first place in the Tech record books. He finished second in the nation and first in the OVC in home runs with a school-record 26, smashing the school’s career home runs record with 51. He also ranks first at Tech in career total bases with 409, runs scored with 143, hits with 207, doubles with 49, runs batted in with 190 and walks with 128. He led the OVC with 58 walks to rank fifth in the nation, and holds the single-season record for intentional walks with nine. Starting the past 114 games consecutively, including all 56 this season as the designated hitter or first baseman, he batted in 70 runs this year, breaking his own school record for RBIs in the 2009 season to earn the two spot in the Tech single-season record books. His 2010 on-base percentage of .531 ranks second in the OVC, as do his RBI and total base (177) stats. He holds the three spot in the conference for total plate appearances with 275. Kirby-Jones was named National Player of the Week in March. Additionally, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for week five of the 2010 season, 2010 First-Team All-OVC, and is on the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy Watch List. He was also drafted by the Oakland A’s in the fifth round of the MLB First-Year Player draft, pick number 275 overall.