No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits shines in his professional baseball debut

Eli Willits made his professional baseball debut Thursday night for Single-A Fredericksburg, and what a debut it was. The former Ft. Cobb- Broxton standout went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in his first game since being selected number 1 overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft.

The Keys would win the game 10-6 over Fayetteville. The 17-year-old is the youngest player in Fredericksburg history. 

The switch-hitter started at shortstop and hit 7th in the lineup. The first RBI of his career came in his first at-bat, giving the Keys a 2-0 lead. His first career hit was an opposite-field single. Hits two and three were a line drive to right and an infield single in the 8th inning. 

"It went good ... just to get out there, get my feet wet, start playing professional baseball," Willits said after the game. "Everything went well, especially since we came out with the win. That's all that matters."

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