West Coast League alum Nick Madrigal of Oregon State was selected in the first round of the MLB draft today, as the Chicago White Sox picked Madrigal 4th overall, the highest selection ever for an alumnus of the WCL.

Madrigal starred for the Corvallis Knights in 2015. He earned first-team all-WCL honors and set the league’s single-season stolen bases record with 40 while hitting .303 with 9 doubles and 20 RBIs.

He started his college career in the West Coast League as did his future Beavers teammate Cadyn Grenier, with Bend, who was selected 37th overall in the first round by Baltimore. Both were drafted in 2015, Madrigal by Cleveland in the 17th round and Grenier in the 21st round by St. Louis, and again this evening.

They both excelled in the WCL and decided against signing and became Oregon State Beavers in the fall. They have accomplished amazing things at Oregon State over the past three seasons, leading the Beavers to a 56-6 record and College World Series appearance last spring as sophomores. This year, they’ve powered the Beavs to a #2-ranking and Super Regional appearance next weekend vs. Minnesota.

Last summer, they teamed up as the middle infield for Team USA.

Grenier led the Bend Elks to their first WCL title in his first collegiate season, and earned second-team all-WCL honors as he hit .329 with 13 doubles, 3 homers, 11 stolen bases and 27 RBIs.

Rounds 3-10 of the MLB draft will be held tomorrow, with rounds 11-40 set for Wednesday, June 6.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League (WCL) is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 14-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest showcases pro prospects from major conferences across the nation June through August. Out west, the league features an unparalleled history of memorable fan and player experiences and the best summer weather in North America. 83 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB 2017 June draft. 271 WCL alums appeared or were active in affiliated professional baseball in 2017 including 31 in the major leagues, such as 2015 home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore); record-breaking rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia); rising star pitchers James Paxton (Seattle) and Matt Boyd (Detroit); and outfielder Mitch Haniger (Seattle). Overall member attendance was 412,392 this past summer, an increase of 8.6% in total attendance.