It was a dream day yesterday for senior Ryan Aguilar of Arizona. The former Cowlitz Black Bears star led his Wildcats to the College World Series and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round of the MLB June draft.

Last night, Aguilar’s Arizona Wildcats rallied from a 5-1 deficit vs. Mississippi State to beat the Bulldogs in Starkville 6-5 in 11 innings to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Aguilar delivered the big blow, hammering his team-leading 8th homer, a three-run blast in the eighth-inning, to pull Arizona within one, 5-4.

Earlier in the day, the all-Pac-12 first baseman was picked by the Brewers in the 31st round of the MLB draft.

Aguilar developed over three summers with the Black Bears (2013-2015) earning second-team all-WCL honors in 2013 as the sweet-swinging left-handed hitter led Cowlitz in runs scored with 41, doubles with 8 and stolen bases with 10 while hitting .329. And he was a WCL All-Star Game selection in 2015.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 12-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest features pro prospects from major conferences across the nation and an unparalleled history out west of great fan and player experiences in addition to the best summer weather in North America. In 2015, 59 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB June draft, and more than 200 WCL alums appeared in affiliated professional baseball including 25 in the major leagues, such as home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore), NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Matt Duffy (San Francisco) and rising star pitchers Matt Andriese (Tampa Bay) and Josh Osich (San Francisco). Overall member attendance exceeded 400,000 in 2015. The 2016 54-game campaign opens tonight.