Earlier this month Eli heard his name called when the Reds drafted him in the 26th round of the Major League Baseball Draft.
“It was a great experience. It was a dream come true. It is something you dream about as a kid, but don’t think it will ever happen. I didn’t really expect it because I hadn’t talked much with the Reds,” said White.
The former Wren standout could have been drafted much higher but he let the teams know he planned to enroll at Clemson.
“I was talking to a couple of teams. I was thinking maybe the 8th or ninth round. I might have be able to go in the 7th,” said White.
It wasn’t a difficult decision for Eli.
“It was a pretty easy decision to make. I always wanted to play at Clemson. It is a great program and coach Leggett is a great coach. I feel like the coaches can develop my game and I will be an even higher pick coming out of Clemson,” said White.
Eli will make the move to Clemson later this week.
“I think we move in on Sunday,” said White.
The prize recruit made a number of visits to watch the Tigers this season.
“I saw as many games as I could around my schedule. I was there for the season opener. I went to Columbia and saw the regional,” said White.
For the second year in a row the Tigers are bringing in one of the nation’s top classes. Eli believes the 2013 class will be a great compliment to this year’s outstanding class.
“We have a great shot at making a run to Omaha next year and the next year. Last year’s class had a lot of solid pitchers and a few position players. I feel like we have a lot of position players in our class,” said White.
Eli battled through a hernia during his senior season, but still put up very impressive numbers hitting .418 with six homeruns and 33 RBI’s.
“I actually had hernia surgery the week after my season. I found out I had played with it all season long. I could still play with it. I am on the back end of the recovery now,” said White.
As Eli prepares to enroll at Clemson he has already built a strong relationship with coach Leggett and coach LeCroy.
“It has really grown over the last couple of years. I really got to know coach LeCroy better as he was recruiting me and coming to my games. After I committed I met with coach Leggett for a couple of hours and got to know him a lot. It was awesome to see how passionate he is about his players and playing the game the right way. It has been cool getting to know him better,” said White.