Natasha Dye is a writer-reporter for PEOPLE covering sports. Her previous work appears in The New York Post and Popstar! Magazine.
History has been made in Major League Baseball as Travis Bazzana becomes the first Australian player -- and first second baseman -- to be selected No. 1 overall in the draft, according to the Associated Press and Yahoo Sports.
Bazzana, 21, was picked up by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 MLB Draft at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 14.
"We're bananas for Bazzana," the Guardians official account wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday following the decision. "With the first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, we have selected 2B Travis Bazzana from Oregon State."
According to the AP, Bazzana came from Sydney, Australia to the United States to play baseball at Oregon State for three seasons before going pro.
During Sunday's ceremony, Bazzana was at his alma mater with Oregon State teammates, coaches and his family -- including some who flew in from Australia to celebrate with him -- when he was announced as the first overall pick, the AP reported.
"It was a cool place to do it, exactly where I got recruited," Bazzana told the outlet. "I got recruited right in these rooms, made those kind of decisions to be here, and then to kind of finish my journey here, it's cool."
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The former Oregon State star told the outlet it was "pretty special to have these people here" with him to celebrate, especially given the trip being, "Not cheap, nor is it an easy flight," he said.
According to Yahoo Sports, Bazzana holds Oregon Staate's record for single-season home runs with 28 and most runs in program history with 45. He is also the school's all-time hitting leader with 251.
As he prepares to move into the professional league, Bazzana said he's beginning to feel the pressure of being the top overall pick. "There wasn't much pressure as a 15-, 16-year-old in Australia, and there wasn't much pressure as an incoming freshman at Oregon State. No one really expected anything from the Australian kid," he told the AP.
Bazzana added, "It'll grow when I make my big league debut and it'll grow as everything happens," per the outlet. "That's just a part of it."
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The new Guardian said he's "focused on the process" and has the "right people around" to calm any "external pressures" he may face while speaking to the outlet.
Moreover, Bazzana told the AP that being an MLB player has always been his dream. "I don't remember ever putting a different answer to what's your dream job or what are you going to do in the future," he said.