A historic day for Gaucho baseball
The sports information staff is hard at work trying to find out whether or not it has ever happened before, but the Saddleback baseball program had four current and former players selected on Wednesday at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft in Secaucus, New Jersey. Current players Tanner Brubaker and Brett Auerbach were both selected while former players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Luke Jarvis also heard their names called.
Brubaker and Auerbach were both Orange Empire Conference First Team selections this season while Fitzpatrick and Jarvis were first team selections in 2016.
Brubaker was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 840th overall pick in the 28th round. He had a sensational season in 2018 when he was the Southern California Pitcher-of-the-Year in going 13-3 with a 1.70 ERA. Brubaker gave a commitment to UC Irvine before the beginning of the season and now will have to decide whether to continue his collegiate career or turn professional. Brubaker was a graduate of San Clemente High School in 2016.
Auerbach was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 1,206th overall pick in the 40th round. He made the All-OEC First Team for the second straight season this year after leading the team in nearly every offensive category. Auerbach gave a commitment to the University of Alabama before the season, and like Brubaker will have a decision to make. He was a graduate of Tesoro High School in 2016.
Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the 648th overall selection in the 22nd round. He played at Saddleback in 2015 & 2016 and made the All-OEC First Team in 2016 when he batted .312 with seven home runs and a .473 on-base percentage. Fitzpatrick spent the past two seasons at UC Irvine where he started 83 games for the Anteaters. He was second on the team this season at UCI with a .306 batting average, making the All-Big West First Team. Fitzpatrick graduated from JSerra Catholic High School in 2014.
Jarvis was drafted by the Miami Marlins with the 747th overall selection in the 25th round. He played at Saddleback in both 2014 and 2016, making the All-OEC First Team in 2016 when he led the team with a .371 average while starting every game at shortstop. Jarvis has spent the past two seasons at Auburn University and is currently the starting second baseman for a Tiger team heading to the NCAA Super Regionals this weekend against Florida. He was named to the All-SEC Defensive Team this season with a .977 fielding percentage. Jarvis graduated from Clairemont High School in 2013.