After Arizona run, Yorkville's Michael Hilker gets taken by Minnesota Twins in 20th round of MLB draft

Chicago Tribune

18-07-2025

Yorkville graduate Michael Hilker was taking advantage of his surroundings Monday night, sitting on a bench overlooking a lake in Rhode Island.
His host family provided that serene setting for Hilker, who's pitching for the Ocean State Waves of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Hilker, however, was still busy.
He was fixated on his phone, hoping to get a call that would change his life in the MLB draft.
'My advisor called me and asked if I was watching the draft and I was like, 'I've only been watching it for six hours,'' Hilker said. 'I couldn't believe it when I got the call.
'It was everything you dreamed about in a 45-second phone call.'
The Minnesota Twins selected the right-handed Hilker in the 20th round at 599th overall.
Hilker has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at Arizona and get started with his professional career. He plans on heading soon to the Twins' spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida.
'I'm excited to get on the journey,' Hilker said. 'I've been telling my friends, 'I have a job now.''
Three years ago, this ascent would have seemed improbable.
Under recruited in high school, Hilker settled on NCAA Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he spent his first two seasons establishing himself as an All-American.
'Sixteen months ago, heading into my sophomore season at Whitewater, I didn't even know what my role was going to be,' he said. 'Throughout that season, I learned what kind of pitcher I can be.'
That led to an opportunity at Arizona to see what he could do at the Division I level.
Hilker was a mainstay in the bullpen for the Wildcats, helping them reach the College World Series. Now, he's set to begin his professional career.
'We thought Whitewater was really good for him, but we thought he could play at a higher level than that,' Yorkville coach Tom Cerven said. 'He went to Arizona and fulfilled that.
'It's hard to measure guys getting drafted. We definitely saw the college success in him, but I don't know if we saw this kind of potential.'
Cerven praised Hilker for constantly working to get better and challenging himself to reach this goal.
'Credit to him — he's a hard worker,' Cerven said. 'When he puts his mind to it, he really starts to grind and really starts to find a way to accomplish it.
'All that hard work he put in finally paid off and finally somebody took notice of him.'
Hilker allowed eight runs to Louisville in his Arizona debut, but he only allowed eight more runs the rest of the season. He had a perfect 1 2/3 inning outing at top-ranked North Carolina in the Super Regionals, which attracted the eyes of a lot of scouts.
'I knew I could make a little bit of an improvement in my stock there,' Hilker said. 'I credit a lot of it to playing in the postseason because it allowed me to be seen. I think that helped me out a bunch.'
The MLB draft is an interesting process, and Hilker saw it firsthand. He said he was in contact with some teams, but then the Twins came in out of nowhere and picked him.
'It was an unreal feeling,' Hilker said. 'I always thought it was a huge process to get drafted, but if you put in the work and you're a good player, you'll be found.'
Before heading to Florida, Hilker has allowed himself to reflect on how he got here. He doesn't take it for granted.
'I've definitely been thinking about my 7-year-old self the last few days, playing T-ball when baseball was something to kill time, before it was my life,' Hilker said. 'I'm super excited to get down there and live the dream.'