Townsend, originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2004 Amateur draft, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after they drafted him in the first round of the 2005 amateur draft. Townsend was college pitcher of the decade while Attending Rice University and won a College World Series Championship with Rice in 2003. Townsend was selected as a first team all-American at Rice University in 2003 and 2004. Through four years of professional baseball Townsend is 7-21 with an ERA of 5.59. In 64 games he has made 43 starts and has 184 strikeouts in 211.1 innings pitched.