Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 6, 1993 TAG: 9306060165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Medium
Carey Schueler, a left-handed pitcher, was selected in the 43rd round by the Chicago White Sox. She's the daughter of White Sox senior vice president Ron Schueler.
Schueler, 18, is believed to be the first woman picked in the baseball draft. She was taken late Friday as the 1,208th pick overall.
The last time Schueler played baseball was as a sophomore at Campolindo High School in Moraga, Calif., when she pitched for the boys' junior varsity team. She was an all-state basketball player as a senior last season, and has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at DePaul University.
"It's pretty cool to be drafted in baseball, but I'm definitely going to DePaul to play basketball," she said. "My dad called me to tell me that I had been drafted. It was pretty neat."
Women have been drafted by pro teams in other sports.
Hall of Fame basketball player Lusia Harris of Delta State was picked by the then-New Orleans Jazz of the NBA in the seventh round of the 1977 draft. Ann Meyers of UCLA tried out for the Indiana Pacers in 1979.
Goaltender Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play one of the four major pro sports when she played for the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning in an exhibition game Sept. 23 against the St. Louis Blues. She spent the season with the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League and still hopes to play in the NHL.
Family members and friends often get picked in the baseball draft, which can last more than 70 rounds. The sons of former major leaguers Sal Bando and Buddy Bell, along with the brother of San Diego pitcher Andy Benes, were among the players taken in this year's draft, which ended Saturday.
Schueler's father pitched in the majors from 1972-79, spending his last season with the White Sox.
Professional teams frequently make unusual draft choices in later rounds, sometimes on a whim and other times out of respect. Track star Carl Lewis was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, even though he was not a football player, and the Boston Celtics drafted Landon Turner of Indiana in 1982, shortly after the college star was paralyzed in a traffic accident.
Carey Schueler averaged 22 points and six rebounds for Campolindo's girls basketball team last season on the way to the finals of the Northern California state championship. She earned first-team all-state honors and was named player of the year for Northern California.
She plans to graduate Friday.
by CNB