Micah Ashman drafted in 11th round by Detroit

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Three more local college baseball players were selected on the final day of the Major League Draft on Tuesday.

Utes closer Micah Ashman was drafted in the 11th round by the Detroit Tigers with the 326th overall pick. Ashman is Utah’s all-time leader in career saves with 20, including 11 this past season.

The former Jordan High School star played three seasons with the Utes, and two-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection. Ashman has made 72 career appearances. He holds a 4-8 career record and 3.36 ERA, and is coming off a 2024 season in which Ashman had 11 saves—the second-most by a Ute all-time for a single season. It also ranked second in the Pac-12 and sixth nationally.

Utes pitcher Merit Jones was then drafted in the 20th round by the Minnesota Twins with the 608th overall selection. Jones made 31 appearances in his two seasons as a Ute, including 26 starts. As a sophomore in 2024, Jones made 13 starts and finished 3-5 with 68.1 innings of work. He struck out 68 batters along the way. His first collegiate save came in the Pac-12 Tournament when the Utes knocked off Oregon during pool play.

Along with Kai Roberts, who was drafted in the 7th round by San Diego, the three Utah players drafted is the most since 2017, when four players were picked.

BYU pitcher Ben Hansen was also drafted in the 20th round by the Boston Red Sox with pick number 597. Hansen pitched in just one game last season before pitching for Vanderbilt the previous two years.

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