June 7, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Day two of the Major League Baseball Draft saw two more Bronco ballplayers take another step towards their ultimate dream as seniors Dustin Realini and Eric Newton were each selected in Wednesday's session. Realini was taken in the 28th round (No. 851 overall) by the Cleveland Indians and Newton was the 33rd-round selection (No. 992 overall) of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Realini (Cupertino, Calif.) and Newton (San Jose, Calif.) join Kris Watts, picked Tuesday in the 16th round (No. 470 overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the 2006 Bronco contingent taken in the MLB Draft.
SCU's starting third baseman in all three of his years on the Mission Campus, Realini batted .295 over that span with 30 doubles, 13 home runs and 96 runs batted in. In 2006, he batted .287 with nine doubles, three homers, 33 runs scored and 31 RBIs while spending a few games across the diamond at first base as well. Realini also notched 12 multi-hit games in his senior season, including a 4-for-5 performance at Hawaii-Hilo on March 26, where he drove in five runs and came only a home run short of hitting for the cycle.
One of only two Broncos (along with Watts) to start all 54 contests in 2006, Newton, a dangerous power-hitter and starting second baseman, will join the Brewers' organization after a senior season which saw him lead the West Coast Conference with 14 home runs. He also had 12 doubles and 48 RBIs to go along with four multi-homer games. Some of Newton's memorable moments from 2006 include a 3-for-3, two-homer, six-RBI performance March 25 at Hawaii-Hilo, four-hit, two-homer, four-RBI game March 10 at Washington, and a three-hit, seven-RBI showing against San Francisco State on April 18.
The San Jose native leaves Santa Clara tied for eighth all-time with 26 career round-trippers, and with 19 doubles and 83 runs batted in.
The three Broncos drafted in the 2006 MLB Draft matches the total taken in last season's big-league lottery.