Princeton University Athletics
Top Male Athletes Of The Decade: No. 5 Will Venable ?05
December 22, 2009 | Baseball, Men's Basketball
Venable came to Princeton as a basketball player, and his remarkable career saw him finish 26th in school history in scoring (1,010 points), fourth in steals (155) and eighth in assists (253). He and current Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson are the only two Princeton men's basketball players with at least 1,000 points, 250 assists and 150 steals.
Venable was a first-team All-Ivy League selection as a junior, when he led Princeton to a 13-1 Ivy record and the league championship. He was a second-team selection as a senior.
As a basketball player, Venable had a knack for playing his best in the biggest spots, including his 21-point game at Duke his senior year and a team-best 16 points against Texas in the 2004 NCAA tournament his junior year.
Venable returned to baseball only as sophomore, after two years away from the sport. He would hit .344 with 20 RBIs as a junior and then .385 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 35 runs scored as a senior, when he earned first-team All-Ivy League honors.
He played in the NCAA baseball tournament as a sophomore and junior. He is currently a starting outfielder for the San Diego Padres, who selected him in the seventh road of the 2005 draft.