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Travis Bazzana has arguably been one of the biggest stars in college baseball this season. The second baseman has gone from strength to strength since leaving his hometown of Sydney, Australia to join Oregon State University, making a mark on NCAA baseball while representing the Beavers.
Currently, Bazzana is the top-ranked prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. Just under two weeks ahead of the draft, Bazzana unveiled an aspect of his personality that helped make him an incredible player.
Bazzana admitted he looked up to some of Oregon State's most notable alumni when he joined them, with Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and ex-Yankee Jacoby Ellsbury among those names.
He said:
"Once I committed to Oregon State, it became Adley Rutschman, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Michael Conforto, Nick Madrigal. These are some of the names at Oregon State that are really in the history books.
Again, I remember when I got recruited, one of the first questions I asked our recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at the time, Pat Bailey, was, ‘what do Adley, Nick and these names I just mentioned, what makes them different? What separates them from the rest of the pack?’
The way they carry themselves as people, the way they treat everyday strangers or Hall of famers they meet. It’s all sort of positive and the same."
Travis Bazzana enjoyed his strongest season this year
Bazzana displayed immense talent this year, recording his strongest season in the Beavers uniform. He recorded 28 home runs and 66 RBI at an incredible average of .407. He was also walked 76 times, making him the second-most walked player in the country this season.
He earned All-American honors for a third season in a row while becoming a Golden Spikes finalist this season. Bazzana's 28 home runs this season also became a new single-season record in the Beavers' program history, highlighting his generational talent. He played a key part in ensuring the Beavers were the 15th national seed in the postseason.
Should the Cleveland Guardians make him the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, Bazzana will become the first Australian-born player to be selected not just in the first round of the draft, but the first to become the top pick as well.
