Former Odessa College baseball player Ivan Melendez was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Major League Baseball Draft Sunday.
Melendez, who is a redshirt junior from El Paso Coronado High School, was selected 43rd overall.
He was the team’s third pick during the draft’s first day, coming after the Diamondbacks selected Druw Jones and Landon Sims.
Melendez spent two years playing at Odessa College, playing in 2019 and 2020 before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin.
He was an NJCAA All-American third baseman as a freshman for the Wranglers in 2019 and helped lead Odessa College to a 21-2 record before a COVID-shortened season.
This year, Melendez won the Golden Spikes Award, among many awards for the Longhorns. He swept national player of the year awards, being named the Dick Howser Trophy Winner and the National Player of the Year by Baseball America.
Melendez helped the Longhorns to the 2022 College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The Diamondbacks are currently 40-52 at the All-Star break and are sitting in last place in the NL West division.
