More draft picks
Etiwanda third baseman Ricky Oropesa finally came off the board in the 24th round earlier today, as he was selected by the Boston Red Sox. The odds of Oropesa joining the world champions is remote, as he has been quoted as saying that he would honor his commitment to USC if he wasn't drafted in the first five rounds. One wonders if his intent to honor his scholarship with the Trojans plummeted his draft stock.
Redlands East Valley pitcher Matt Andriese became the second Wildcat to go in this draft, as the Texas Rangers nabbed him in the 37th round. Andriese, who has signed with UC Riverside, will almost certainly go to UCR rather than sign with the Rangers at this juncture.
Other guys that I missed before that colleague Michelle Gardner pointed out were Cal State Dominguez Hills shortstop Cody Puckett, a Hesperia graduate, and UCLA catcher Ryan Babineau, an Etiwanda graduate. Puckett went to the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round - the pick after Isaac Galloway - while Babineau was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 17th round.
About T.J.
T.J. Berka has been covering sports for The Sun since 2006. As a graduate of the University of Michigan, T.J. know good sports when he sees them - at least he thinks he does.
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