LOS ANGELES — Gonzaga's Gabriel Hughes was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Hughes became the highest-drafted Zag in program history going 10th overall.
The selection comes as a bit of a surprise as mock drafts had Hughes being taken between the late first round and early second round.
This comes after a season where Hughes cemented himself as a top major league prospect, hurling 98 innings for the Bulldogs with a 3.21 ERA. He was also ranked 9th in the country with 138 strikeouts.
KREM 2 spoke with Hughes before the draft where he was hoping to hear his name in the first round.
"I mean, that's where I'm hoping. You know, I just want to go to a team that likes me as a pitcher, as a player and as a person," Hughes said. "I'm hoping to go really wherever. I just want to keep playing baseball."
He wound up hearing his name called on draft day much earlier than expected.
Hughes isn't the only Gonzaga pitcher expected to be drafted.
Trystan Vrieling and William Kempner are also likely to hear their names called. Vrieling and Kempner are expected to go in the later rounds.
We'll have coverage of the Major League Baseball draft on KREM 2 News beginning Sunday.
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