HOUSTON - University of Houston junior righthander/DH Brad Lincoln became the first player in both school and Conference USA history to be taken in the Top 10 picks of Major League Baseball's amateur draft Tuesday when he was selected at No. 4 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lincoln, who was named to the Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger All-America First Team as a utility player last week, joined former pitchers Ryan Wagner and Brad Sullivan as the only first-round draft choices in UH history. Wagner was taken with the 14th pick by the Cincinnati Reds, while Sullivan was chosen at No. 25 by the Oakland Athletics in the 2003 amateur draft.

He celebrated the news with his family and friends at his parents' home in Clute, Texas.

Later in the afternoon, senior outfielder Matt Weston was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th round with the 356th overall pick.

In 2006 , Lincoln emerged as one of the nation's finest all-around players. He compiled a sparkling 12-2 record with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 127.2 innings of work. Those numbers were even better in C-USA games only where he assembled a 7-0 record with a 1.28 ERA.

Lincoln's strikeout total ranked as the third-best mark in UH single-season history and moved him into third in UH career history with 293 punchouts.

He was named a C-USA Pitcher of the Week four times during the regular season and was honored as the Pro-Line Cap National Pitcher of the Week after tossing a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in the series opener at No. 1 Rice on May 12.

However, Lincoln was one of the Cougars' leading hitters all season. In 2006, he compiled a .295 batting average with 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBIs. He blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Cougars to an 11-10 win over Texas-San Antonio in the season on opener on Feb. 7.

With his pitching and offensive numbers, Lincoln ranked among the Top 10 C-USA individual leaders in five of the six Triple Crown categories for the majority of the 2006 season.

He was honored as the C-USA Pitcher of the Year while also being named to the league's First Team but was recognized as a member of the C-USA All-Tournament Team as a DH for his performance at the plate.

Lincoln blasted a home run and earned a pitching win in games at UC Irvine and against C-USA rival Tulane earlier this season. With that, he joined current San Diego Padre pitcher Woody Williams as the only players to hit a home run and collect a win from the mound in the same game twice during their careers.

His all-around numbers impressed college baseball fans across the country. Lincoln was named a semifinalist for the Roger Clemens Award, given to the nation's top collegiate pitcher and the Brooks Wallace College Player of the Year Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded to the top player in the collegiate ranks.

Weston joined the Cougars in 2006 as a transfer from San Diego and made an immediate impact. Overcoming a slow start, the Chino Hills, Calif., native blasted a team-best 16 home runs - all coming after April 4 - for the fifth-highest total in UH single-season history.

Weston also added a .314 batting average and 51 RBIs on the way to All-Conference USA First Team honors.

His numbers were even more dazzling in C-USA games only where he compiled a .397 batting average and led all league players with a .949 slugging percentage.