Babitt Selected in MLB Draft

Cal State East Bay senior Myles Babitt was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball Draft this past weekend. The outfielder was the 749th overall selection. 

Babitt is the first Cal State East Bay player to be drafted since Charlie Sharrer, who was a 26th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2013.

A native of Richmond, Calif., Babitt turned in an impressive senior campaign, helping lead the Pioneers to a school record of 33 wins, a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division crown, and the program's first berth in the NCAA Division II tournament since 1977. 

Babitt played in 45 games and batted .308 for a CSUEB squad that led the CCAA in batting average (.315) and set a program record with 586 hits for the season. He finished third on the team with a .410 on-base percentage and also ranked among the toughest hitters in the nation to strike out, fanning just five times in 120 at bats. He was also an All-CCAA honorable mention selection — one of eight East Bay players to capture All-CCAA honors.  

Babitt is the son of former Major League player and former Diamondbacks scout Mack "Shooty" Babitt, who now serves as a scout for the New York Mets and as an analyst on the pregame and postgame shows for the Oakland A's on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The elder Babitt was also a 25th round draft selection, taken by the A's in 1977, the same year that Cal State East Bay last made a run to the NCAA DII Regionals.