Rutschman Goes #1; D-Backs Choose Nelson

Rutschman Goes #1

The Oregon State Beavers are celebrating the success of Junior catcher Adley Rutschman.  Rutschman was taken first overall in the MLB First-Year Player draft by the Baltimore Orioles.  Rutschman capped his junior season with a .411 batting average with 17 home runs and 58 RBI’s with a .575 on base percentage which is number one in the nation.  He was named the 2019 Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and the co-recipient of the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honor. Collegiate Baseball named him its National Player of the Year last week and he is a finalist for a number of national awards, including Golden Spikes and the Dick Howser Trophy, and a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, given to the nation’s top catcher.  Rutschman is set for a big payday.  When asked to assess his emotions he responded.

“It’s unbelievable.  Just to look back on how I was as a kid and seeing what my expectation were and how far I’ve come from there it’s special and it’s a dream come true it really is.”

D-Backs Choose Nelson

The Oregon Ducks right hander, Ryne Nelson was picked by the Arizona Diamondback in the second round.  He was the 56th pick overall and the third highest pick in Oregon history.  Nelson led the pac 12 in strikeouts with 104 and ranks eighth in career saves in Oregon with 8.