Although he didn’t get to wear the Smoky Hill uniform much during four star-crossed high school years, Harry Gustin has blossomed as a baseball player since he departed Aurora.
Injuries coupled with the coronavirus pandemic wiped out nearly all of Gustin’s time at the prep level with the Buffaloes, but he still managed to catch the eye of the University of Hawaii, which gave him the chance he needed.
The 6-foot, 160-pound left-handed pitcher has made the most of it and parlayed two strong seasons at the Division I level into a chance to play professional baseball. Gustin, 21, was taken by San Diego Tuesday in the 18th round of the Major League Draft.
The Padres used the 551st overall pick on Gustin, who had an outstanding sophomore year at Hawaii, during which he finished with a 5-3 record, a 3.14 ERA and a team-high 79 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings of work. For his career, Gustin was 5-6 with a 3.90 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings.
At Smoky Hill, Gustin appeared in two games a freshman in 2018, as he totaled 2 2/3 innings in games against Rangeview and Westminster. He finished 1-0 with an 10.50 ERA. A hip injury that required surgery claimed his entire sophomore year, then the spring season got canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Gustin then had arm trouble that required surgery and forced him to miss his senior season.
A showcase tournament allowed Hawaii to get a look at Gustin, which led to his chance to pitch for the Rainbow Warriors. He was a rare Division I baseball signee for Smoky Hill, which subsequently had Dylan McKee and Preston Cooper both sign with Northern Colorado. McKee is now at DIII Webster University.
Earlier in the 2023 draft, another former Aurora high school player went to the Cincinnati Reds, who chose Regis Jesuit alum Ethan O’Donnell with the 168th pick (story, here).
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports