It didn't take long for Will Robertson to have his name called Tuesday in the Major League Baseball draft.
Robertson, a Fatima High School graduate who just finished his junior season at Creighton, was selected as the 117th overall pick in the fourth round by the Toronto Blue Jays on the draft's second day.
"I'm ecstatic. It's been a dream of mine ever since I've been a little kid, dressing up in baseball pants and reenacting every game on SportsCenter since I was 3 years old," Robertson said Tuesday in a video interview posted by the Creighton athletic department.
"It's awesome to be a Blue Jay forever now."
Robertson, a native of Loose Creek, is the highest-selected player in the MLB draft from the Jefferson City area since Sam LeCure was taken by the Cincinnati Reds with the 122nd pick in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.
"Coming from a small town of 300 people - there are more cows in my town than people - I wasn't really ever expecting to hear my name called in the draft," Robertson said. "Getting as high as the fourth round? That never popped into my mind.
"Not in a million years would I have imagined this."
According to MLB.com, Robertson began the draft as the 81st-ranked prospect. The approximate signing bonus slot value for the 117th pick is $492,700.
"Being from Mid-Missouri, I wasn't a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan growing up, but I sure am now," Robertson said.
Robertson's draft selection came one day after Creighton concluded its season in the NCAA Regionals. The Bluejays lost 17-6 to Michigan in the winner-take-all game of the Corvallis, Ore., regional. Robertson hit a solo home run in Monday's loss, his 15th homer of the season that extended his hitting streak to 21 games.
Robertson said he learned he was drafted on his flight back from the regional.
"That was definitely probably the hardest plane ride I had to experience," he said. "We were playing cards, just trying to keep it loose."
During the 2019 season, Robertson - the Bluejays' starting right fielder who throws and bats left-handed - compiled a .311 batting average (69-for-222) in 54 starts with Creighton. He led the team with 67 RBI and also scored 53 runs while hitting 19 doubles.
In five games at the regional, Robertson batted 6-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles, five RBI and six runs scored.
Prior to this season, Robertson was named the Big East Conference preseason co-player of the year and was a preseason All-American selection by D1Baseball and Baseball America.
Creighton finished the season with a 41-13 record, knocking off defending national champion Oregon State during the regional.
"We wanted to make a regional, we wanted to win a Big East regular-season (title) and Big East Tournament (title)," Robertson said. "That was our goal from the very beginning, and we reached that. As long as I live, I'm going to remember this season."
In three seasons at Creighton, Robertson has started all 153 games. He has a .307 career batting average with 181 hits, 30 home runs, 46 doubles, 147 RBI and 115 runs scored. Robertson ranks eighth in Creighton history in career home runs.
"It really hit me how fast three years flew by," Robertson said. "I made so many memories here, but once a Jay, always a Jay."
Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Robertson was invited to play in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer. While playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in Massachusetts, Robertson batted .300 (51-for-170) with team-highs of 28 RBI and 30 runs scored in 42 games. He also hit four home runs and 11 doubles in the wood-bat league.
Robertson was one of three Creighton players drafted Tuesday. Isaac Collins was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 279th overall pick in the ninth round, while Jake Holton was picked 292nd overall in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers.
"Creighton prepares you so well for baseball beyond college," Robertson said.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, Robertson is Creighton's highest-drafted player since 1999, when Ryan Gripp was taken with the 110th overall pick.
The draft concludes today with the 11th through 40th rounds.
While at Fatima, Robertson helped the Comets to the Class 3 state championship in 2015, hitting the title-clinching home run in the eighth inning of a 3-2 win against Scott City.
"There's no better feeling, just hearing from all the people back home and all the people that supported you," Robertson said.