Looking at the positions of the high school and college players the Tigers picked in the three days of this week's amateur draft, it was easy to see where their prioities lie:
     Of the 50 players the Tigers drafted, 22 are pitchers (16 right handers and six lefties), 13 are infielders, 10 are outfielders and five are catchers.
     Their No. 2 pick, 21-year-old Andy Oliver from Oklahoma State, is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound left hander with a 98 mph fastball. He struck out 97 batters in 88 innings this season, despite a prolonged battle with the NCAA over his eligibility after he allegedly hired an agent.
     In the third round, they took 21-year-old third baseman Wade Gaynor, a 6-4, 213-pounder who batted .371 with a .781 slugging percentage this year. He is the first player in Western Kentucky history to hit 20 or more home runs and steal 20 or more bases.
     Players of local interest drafted by the Tigers included shortstop Dan Fields (sixth round) from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, the son of Bruce Fields, who was a Tigers coach during the Alan Trammell era; right handed pitcher Kevan Hess (14th round) from Western Michigan; catcher Eric Roof (18th round) of Michigan State, the son of Tigers' roving minor league instructor Gene Roof; shortstop James Gulliver (20th round) from Eastern Michigan; right fielder Victor Roache (25th round) from Ypsilanti Lincoln High; and centerfielder Patrick Biondi (35th round) from Divine Child High.