It should come as no surprise that following arguably Virginia Tech’s best baseball season, it broke the school record for most players selected in a single Major League Baseball draft.

The Hokies had seven players picked on the draft’s second day Tuesday, a group headlined by junior outfielder Austin Wates, who was selected in the third round (90th pick overall) by the Houston Astros.

Tech, which finished 40-22 and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000, had four players chosen in the first 10 rounds, more than it had in the previous 13 years combined.

The Hokies draftees Tuesday, in addition to Wates, included pitcher Jesse Hahn, a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays (191 overall), pitcher Mathew Price (eighth round, Boston Red Sox), catcher Steve Domecus (ninth round, Los Angeles Dodgers), shortstop Tim Smalling (14th round, Washington Nationals), pitcher Ben Rowen (22nd round, Texas Rangers) and left fielder Buddy Sosnoskie (25th round, Kansas City Royals).

The seven players drafted broke the previous school record of five selections in 1982. More Tech players could be selected today when the final 20 rounds (31-50) of the draft are conducted.

Five of the seven players selected are underclassmen and have the option to return to school.

Wates, a Richmond native, is the highest Hokies player drafted since Joe Saunders was chosen in the first round (12th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2002.

The 6-foot-1, 174-pound Wates led the Hokies with a .382 batting average this season. He hit eight home runs and had 54 RBIs, which both tied for third most on the team. He also hit a team-high five triples, 14 doubles, scored 61 runs and had a .981 fielding percentage, third best of the Hokies’ starters.

Hahn, a 6-foot-5 right-hander whose fastball routinely reaches the mid 90s, was once considered one of the top prospects for the draft. His stock fell in recent months, likely the effect of arm problems that limited him late in the season.

Hahn, a Groton, Conn., native, was sidelined for a month earlier this season with a sore right forearm. He didn’t make it past the fourth inning in any of his final four starts of the 2010 season.

His last start, against The Citadel in the NCAA Tournament regionals Saturday in Columbia, S.C., was going well until he left the game before the fourth inning with a strained right forearm.

The injury didn’t affect his velocity – he hit 96 on the gun just prior to coming out – but the discomfort kept him from lasting long in any of his starts after April 18.

Hahn, a high school teammate of UNC pitcher Matt Harvey, who went No. 7 overall to the New York Mets, went 5-4 in 2010 with a 3.70 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 73 innings.

Price, the 263rd overall pick, and Domecus, 292 overall, were both drafted for the second time. Both were picked in the 2008 draft – Price by the Atlanta Braves (34th round) and Domecus by the Chicago White Sox (38th).

Price, a 6-2, 173-pound sophomore, made the second-most starts for the Hokies (15) and finished with a 7-4 record and a 4.95 ERA. The Marietta, Ga., native tied staff ace Justin Wright with two complete games this season.

Domecus, a 6-3, 210-pound senior, led the Hokies with 27 doubles and tied for the team lead with 13 home runs. He was second in batting average (.365) and RBIs (60).

He returns to California, his home state, where he also began his college career at UC Santa Barbara.

Smalling, a 6-3, 207-pound junior from Raleigh, N.C., batted .349 with 51 runs, seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 51 games. He missed 10 games earlier in the season while recuperating from a separated left shoulder. He separated the same shoulder Sunday against The Citadel, but returned to the game without missing a play.

Rowen, 6-3, 190-pound senior from California, was the Hokies’ closer in 2010. He also has experience as a starter. In 38 appearances this season, Rowen went 5-2 with six saves. He struck out 63 in 54 innings.

Sosnoskie, a 6-1, 182-pound sophomore, provided a big bat near the bottom of the order for the Hokies. He batted .347 with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs and 46 runs scored. He hit home runs in three straight at bats during the NCAA Tournament.

One of Virginia Tech’s 2010 signees, JUCO pitcher Stephen Malcolm, was drafted in the eighth round by the Philadelphia Phillies (No. 261 overall). The 6-foot, 170-pound pitcher-shortstop played last season at San Joaquin Delta College in California.