June 11, 2016 MALIBU, Calif. " Junior shortstop Manny Jefferson and senior first baseman Brad Anderson had their names called on Saturday during the third and final day of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.
They join senior right-hander A.J. Puckett, a second-round pick by the Kansas City Royals, to give the Waves three draft picks in 2016. That brings Pepperdine's all-time total to 154 selections.
Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) was taken in the 13th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Anderson (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) was chosen in the 40th and final round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
It's the second straight year a Wave was taken by the Angels (Hutton Moyer). The last Wave selected by the Diamondbacks was Barry Enright in 2007.
Jefferson has played the last three seasons as the Waves' everyday shortstop since coming to Pepperdine as a freshman prior to the 2014 season. The right-handed slugger had a breakout season in 2016 as he led the team and finished third in the WCC with 12 home runs. He also slugged .515 for the Waves. Always prone to highlight-reel plays at short, Jefferson stepped his game up at the plate, hitting .277, driving in 38 runs and scoring 34, while also drawing a team-best 25 walks. He posted 10 doubles and a triple as well in 2016.
Over the course of the last three seasons, Jefferson has posted 145 hits, 19 home runs, 94 RBI, 79 runs scored and 27 doubles. He has drawn a total of 52 walks, compiling a .315 on-base percentage. After grabbing the Waves' everyday shortstop job as a freshman in 2014, Jefferson was named to the WCC All-Freshman team and WCC All-Tournament team in helping to lead Pepperdine to an appearance in the NCAA Super Regional. He was named All-WCC second team this season.
Anderson has played the last four seasons for the Waves, graduating after his senior season in 2016. The 6-foot-4 first baseman took over the starting role for the Waves as a sophomore in 2014 and has played a total of 189 games, making 180 starts during his career.
This season Anderson hit .279 as the Waves' cleanup hitter, posting the second-most homers on the squad with 10. He drove in a team-high 39 runs for Pepperdine and scored a team-best 35, posting 10 doubles and two triples along the way. For his career Anderson hit .279, driving in 116 runs and scoring 100. He hit 25 career homers and 34 career doubles, posting a .445 slugging percentage and .359 on-base percentage.
Anderson earned WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 2015 after helping the Waves to back-to-back WCC Tournament titles. He was also named to the WCC All-Tournament team in 2014, helping the Waves to their later appearance in the NCAA Super Regional.