Secaucus, N.J. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior outfielder Taylor Kohlwey of Holmen (H.S.) was taken in the 21^st Round of the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft Saturday afternoon by the San Diego Padres.  Kohlwey was the 624^th player selected in this year's draft.  
 
"I'm extremely grateful to the Padres organization for giving me this amazing opportunity," said Kohlwey.  "I have to say a huge thank you to everyone at UWL for making me a better player and most importantly a better person.
 
"Thank you to all my friends and family, specifically my parents for being the best parents I could have ever asked for," added Kohlwey.  "I would have never made it to this point without their love and support."
 
A starter in all 49 games in 2016, Kohlwey finished second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III with a .485 batting average (96-of-198) this season.  He led the country in hits (96), runs (76), and total bases (163) this season while finishing fourth in triples (9), fifth in on-base percentage (.549), sixth in slugging percentage (.823), seventh in doubles (22) and eighth in RBI (57).
 
Kohlwey is the 10^th player in UWL history to be drafted and the first since pitcher Joel Effertz was taken in the 28^th Round in 2013 by the Miami Marlins.  Kohlwey is the sixth-highest draft pick in school history.  Outfielder Charles Landis (1967, New York Mets) and pitcher Jerry Augustine (1974, Milwaukee Brewers) were both taken in the 15^th Round.  Pitchers Tom Klawitter (1980, Los Angeles Dodgers) and Joe Ohm (1998, Chicago Cubs) were both drafted in the 19^th Round while pitcher Jack Gurholt (1979, Minnesota Twins) was a 20^th Round selection.
 
Other UWL players drafted include pitchers Dick Seidel (1982, New York Yankees, 29^th Round), Dean Rockweiler (1986, Montreal Expos, 32^nd Round) and Andy Elskamp (2000, Philadelphia Phillies, 36^th Round).
 
"I's so happy for Taylor," said UWL head coach Chris Schwarz.  "He is very deserving of this opportunity.  He has given so much to our program, we are very thankful to have had him the past four years.  There is no limit to what he can achieve. We wish him all the best."
 
Kohlwey set single-season school records for batting average (.485), hits (96), runs (76) and doubles (22) in 2016 while tying the school record for triples (9) set by Alex Cordova in 2015.  Kohlwey was second on the team in home runs (9) this year.
 
Kohlwey recorded a 51-game hitting streak dating back to the 2015 season, the second-longest streak in NCAA Division III history.  He had at least one hit in 74 of his last 77 games and in 139 of 155 career contests with an official at-bat.  Kohlwey had a team-high 32 multiple-hit contests in 2016 and finished with 88 career multiple-hit games.   He was second for UWL with 15 multiple-RBI games in 2016.
 
Starting 151 of 157 career games at UWL, Kohlwey ended his career as the school's leader in batting average (.447), runs (191), hits (277), doubles (58) and RBI (154) while ranking second in career triples (16).  He is third in career at-bats (619) and tied for third in home runs (23) and tied for eighth in stolen bases (36).
 
He has the top-three single-season marks for hits at UWL.  Along with his school record 96 hits in 2016, Kohlwey finished with 88 hits in 2014 and 85 in 2015.
 
Earning the 2016 America Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Gold Bat Award for NCAA Division III Player of the Year, Kohlwey was a three-time ABCA All-America First Team selection (2014-16).  He was the first player in UWL history to earn the ABCA Gold Bat Award.  Kohlwey earned three ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team honors (2014-16) and was named the ABCA/Rawlings Midwest Region Position Player of the Year twice (2015, 2016).
 
He was selected the 2016 D3baseball.com Player of the Year, the first player in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) history to earn the honor.  Kohlwey earned 2014 and 2016 D3baseball.com First Team All-America and D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region First Team accolades while being a D3baseball.com Second Team All-America choice in 2015.  He was selected the 2016 D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Position Player of the Year, the second player in school history to earn honor, joining Jay Fanta in 2012.
 
A two-time NCAA III All-Midwest Regional Tournament selection (2015, 2016), Kohlwey earned Most Outstanding Player honors in 2015.
 
Named the 2016 WIAC Position Player of the Year, Kohlwey became the third player in league history to earn the honor twice in his career.  He was named the 2014 WIAC Co-Position Player of the Year.
 
Kohlwey was a three-time All-WIAC First Team selection (2014-16), the eighth player in school history to earn three first team all-conference honors.
 
He helped lead UWL to a 39-10 overall and 18-2 mark in the WIAC in 2016, winning its 14^th regular-season conference title in school history. The Eagles won their third WIAC Tournament Championship with a 14-5 victory over UW-Whitewater May 15.  UWL captured its second straight NCAA Division III Midwest Regional title and earned its second consecutive appearance at the NCAA III Championship in Appleton.  The Eagles went 1-2 at this year's NCAA III Championship. 

UWL set single-season school records for wins (39), batting average (.370), slugging percentage (.427), runs (452), hits (648), doubles (125), triples (25) and RBI (396) in 2016.

The Eagles finished fourth in the final D3baseball.com and ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Polls.