The Arizona baseball program saw all seven of its draft-eligible players get selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft Thursday and Friday.

“”I’m happy for them,”” said UA head coach Andy Lopez. “”It’s always a good sign when people acknowledge good players in our program.””

Senior southpaw Brad Mills began the draft process by getting selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round with the 145th overall pick Thursday.

Mills was chosen in the 22nd round of the 2006 draft by Toronto but did not sign and returned for his senior season. He completed his final year at Arizona as the Saturday night starter with a 9-4 record and a 4.41 ERA in 87 2/3 innings pitched. He was sidelined late in the season with a strained back.

“”The rumor is that if you come back for your senior year you won’t get drafted as high, and that wasn’t the case for Brad,”” Lopez said. “”More importantly, he came back and earned his degree (in civil engineering).””

Bill Rhinehart was the other senior taken in this year’s draft. The Washington Nationals took him in the 11th round as the 340th overall pick.

“”I’m very happy for our two seniors,”” Lopez said. “”They should be starting their professional careers pretty soon.””

Rhinehart, C.J. Ziegler, and pitchers Daniel Schlereth and Eric Berger, who did not start after undergoing “”Tommy John”” surgery last spring, were all selected by professional teams for the first time. It marked a second-time selection for Mills, pitcher David Coulon (2004) and infielder Colt Sedbrook (2004).

While Mills and Rhinehart have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, Lopez said it is a good chance he’ll see the other players in Arizona uniforms next season.

“”I’ve talked to all of them,”” he said. “”Unless they get really big offers, I think they’ll all be coming back next year. Hopefully, we’ll be in good shape when summer ends. They have to decide by August 15th. We’ll just have to wait and see.””