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"We feel fortunate to get Nick in the first round," said Fuson. "We collectively saw quite a few of his starts down the stretch and we think he will be a great addition to the left-handers already in our system. He's a strong, durable pitcher with three or four different pitches and he is already a proven winner."

Recommended by Padres scout Lane Decker, Schmidt was named a second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger in 2007 after going 11-3 with a 2.69 ERA (37 ER/124.0 IP) in 18 starts for the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior limited opponents to a Southeastern Conference-best .196 average and also ranks among conference leaders in wins (T-2nd), ERA (3rd), starts (T-1st), innings pitched (2nd) and strikeouts (111, 6th).

"This might be the best day of my life," said Schmidt. "This is a lifelong dream and I am so happy to be chosen by the Padres."

Schmidt, 21, leaves Arkansas as the all-time strikeout leader with 345 strikeouts, and also ranks among the school's all-time leaders in wins (3rd, 28), innings pitched (3rd, 340.1 IP), starts (2nd, 52) and ERA (8th, 2.83). He is just the fifth Arkansas player to be named a two-time All-America selection as he was also a first-team Freshman All-American in 2005. SEC coaches also named the left-hander a first-team All-SEC pitcher in 2007 and he was honored as a first-team pitcher on the SEBaseball.com All-SEC squad. Additionally, Schmidt was one of 10 pitchers chosen as a semifinalist for the Roger Clemens Award and was one of 50 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award.

A native of St. Louis, MO, Schmidt played for the USA National Team during the summer of 2006, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.31 ERA in 34.1 innings of work. He was also the winning pitcher in the gold medal game of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Championship against Chinese Taipei in Havana, Cuba. Schmidt attended Vianney (MO) High School where he helped lead the team to two district titles and a state championship, garnering all-state honors his senior year. He also received one letter in wrestling.

Schmidt is the first left-handed pitcher taken by San Diego in the first round since Mark Phillips in 2000. Below is a complete list of the San Diego Padres first round draft picks since 1969.