Former Irvine Valley pitcher Jeff Kaplan was chosen by the New York Mets with the 344th pick on Friday of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Kaplan, a right-handed pitcher for Cal State Fullerton by way of Dana Hills High and Irvine Valley, was recently named a third-team All American for the Titans.

The Titans, who hold the No. 5 national seed, host Stanford beginning tonight in a best-of-three Super Regional at Fullerton's Goodwin Field, with the winner advancing to the College World Series in Omaha.

Kaplan has a record of 11-2 and a 4.37 ERA with two complete games and one save on the season. He has 89 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched.

As a sophomore at IVC in 2006, Kaplan was named first team all-Orange Empire Conference after finishing with a school record 100 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings and an impressive 2.56 ERA.

Opposing hitters batted just .196 against him.