Huntington Beach, Calif. - It was a great 2018 Major League Baseball draft for the Golden West College baseball program. One current and three former Rustlers were selected during the three day draft process.
Current Rustler Jeremiah Vison was selected in the 36th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers to keep building on his accolades from his outstanding 2018 season. He was named to the 2018 Pacific Association Southern California All-Region First Team and All-America Third Team after leading the Rustlers in multiple offensive categories including at bats (169), runs scored (32), hits (61), tied for doubles (9), RBI's (25), stolen bases (26), and batting average (.361).
Former Rustler and 2015 Orange Empire Conference Co-MVP Chris Williams was picked in the eighth round (No. 244 overall) by the Twins out of Clemson University. Williams (Garden Grove, Calif.) batted .281 with 18 homers, 12 doubles, 72 RBIs, 54 runs, a .401 on-base percentage and three steals as a first baseman in 2018. In his three-year career at Clemson, he hit .264 with 40 home runs, 31 doubles, a triple, 161 RBIs, 117 runs, a .360 on-base percentage and seven steals in 169 games.
Eli Villalobos, was a catcher for the Rustlers in 2016, appeared in nine games during his freshman season and hit .444 with eight hits in 18 at-bats, scoring twice and driving in four runs, while holding a 1.000 fielding percentage in 37 chances behind the plate. Villalobos converted to a pitcher when he arrived at Long Beach State from Golden West College, was selected in the 14th Round by the Miami Marlins. After beginning the season as a weekend starter for Long Beach State, Villalobos moved back to the back end of the bullpen and thrived in that role. He led all Dirtbags pitchers with 28 appearances, entering 26 games out of the bullpen. As a reliever, Villalobos was 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA, striking out a batter per inning in 36.0 innings of work while allowing opposing batters to hit just .185 against him.
Last but not least, Tyler Depreta was selected in the 35th round with the 1,049th pick by the Texas Rangers on the final day of the 2018 MLB Draft Wednesday. A defensive specialist at short-stop, he earned a Rawlings gold glove in 2016 during his time as a Rustler. It comes as no surprise that Depreta has continued flashing great leather and consistency when he transferred to Houston Baptist. Depreta was named as the top shortstop on the Southland Conference All-Defensive Team for the second-straight year, was a third-team all-conference selection and is a candidate for the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The Rancho Santa Margarita, California, native committed only one error all season, tied for seventh in the nation with 283 total chances and finished the season without an error in his last 232 chances and a span of 48 games. Depreta turned 32 double plays and did not commit an error in conference play in 149 chances.
