TOLEDO, Ohio — University of Toledo star shortstop Jeron Williams' future and development appear to be in good hands.
The defending World Series champion Houston Astros selected the Archbold native Monday night with the final pick of the ninth round in the 2023 MLB draft. He is the 50th player in program history to be drafted.
"He deserves this opportunity and has worked really hard to get to this point," UT coach Rob Reinstetle said. "We only had him for two seasons, but he was fantastic for us. The season he had this year will go down as one of the best ever in the history of the program.
"Jeron has such a dynamic skill set and I have no doubt in my mind he will have a successful career at the next level. He is one of the most talented players I have ever had the honor of coaching."
Williams was named the Mid-American Conference player of the year in May after hitting .403 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. His 49 stolen bases led all of Division I college baseball.
Williams was the first Rocket to hit .400 since Mitch Maier in 2003 -- a first round pick of the Kansas City Royals. He played two seasons for Toledo after transferring from Lincoln Trail College in Illinois.
The Astros organization has produced several key homegrown players, such as Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr., Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez.
This is the third year in a row the UT program has had at least one player drafted.
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