AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn senior Steven Williams was selected Tuesday by the Washington Nationals with the 533rd overall pick in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Williams was the fourth Auburn player selected in this year's draft, joining Ryan Bliss (2nd round, Arizona Diamondbacks), Richard Fitts (6th round, New York Yankees) and Tyler Miller (9th round, Boston Red Sox).
A former 35th round pick of the New York Yankees out of high school, Williams chose to come to school and played in 191 games and made 187 starts in his Auburn career. He finished the 2021 season tied for sixth in program history with 36 career home runs while adding 135 RBI.
A native of Albany, Georgia, Williams was named a 2018 Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team performer after hitting .291 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. He played an instrumental role in Auburn's run to the 2019 College World Series, highlighted by hitting a three-run, walk-off home run against Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regional, and capped off his time on the Plains with a career high 13 home runs in 2021.
Williams is the 28th player selected in the last six seasons under head coach Butch Thompson, 12 of whom have gone in the top 10 rounds.
Auburn signees Calvin Ziegler (2nd round, New York Mets) and Riggs Threadgill (19th round, Washington Nationals) were also selected in this year's MLB Draft.