Clemson catcher Chris Okey was picked No. 43 in the second round of the MLB Player’s Draft by Cincinnati.

Okey is the first Tiger to be drafted in the 2016 Draft and is expected to sign a professional contract and will forgo his senior year at Clemson.

The All-American hit .339 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs this season. He also had a slug percentage of .611 on his way to being named All-American. His 74 RBIs led the Tigers in 2016.

“The thing about Okey is I don’t think people realize how valuable he was to this program,” Clemson head coach Monte Lee said. “He was the guy everybody looked to when we needed leadership. He was the guy that everybody looked to when it came to policing our team.”

Okey played a major role in why Clemson finished the season with 44 wins and won its first ACC Championship in 10 years.

“He was the guy we went to as coaches when a message needed to be sent to the team,” Lee said. “We can’t replace him and that is the thing that made him so special. He was the catalyst. The reason we overachieved is because of Chis Okey.”

What makes Okey so appealing to Major League teams is the fact he caught every single game at Clemson the last two and a half years.

“I think physically, it takes a special kid to be able to play a position as tough as catcher,” Lee said. “It takes a special kid from both a physical and mental standpoint to start and play in every single game over the last two years.

“If you take Chris Okey off this team and out from behind the plate, we don’t win 44 games. I promise you that. That is the biggest piece we are going to lose. Do we have somebody in this program that can assume that leadership and keep the chemistry the way it was? He exemplified all of that.”