SPOKANE, Wash. — Former Mead Panther and WSU Cougar infielder Elijah Hainline was selected in the seventh round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hainline was an All Pac-12 honorable mention this past season at Oregon State, where he formed a double play tandem with number one overall pick Travis Bazzana.
The Spokane native hit .280 with 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in this season at Oregon State after hitting .337 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in his final season at WSU in 2023, when he was also an All Pac-12 honorable mention.
Hainline said he was surprised to see the Dodgers pick him, but he is excited to get his professional career underway.
"I really had not had many conversations with the Dodgers and they kind of out of the blue took me, so I was very surprised by it, but I am happy about it too," Hainline said.
Hainline is excited to have the chance to perform for his hometown in professional baseball.
"There are not many people who come out of Spokane who get the opportunity to play pro baseball, if many at all, so being someone who can pave the way for that and get a name out there for Spokane that we have some guys down here who can play too, I am kind of building a way for that and getting some more attention down here," Hainline said.
Just getting drafted and entering professional baseball is just another step on the journey of Hainline realizing his dream of playing in the major leagues and becoming a star.
"I work extremely hard and want to play the game for a long time and be a hall of famer one day, so that's kind of the end goal and I am going to work hard until that dream comes true, so the dream really begins now," Hainline said.
