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EDWARDS COUNTY’S ZACH ROOT SELECTED #1 OVERALL BY DODGERS IN MLB DRAFT

By Mark Wells Jul 15, 2025 | 5:59 AM

Former Edwards County native,  Zach Root was drafted Sunday on national television via ESPN as the #1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitcher in the Major League Baseball Draft—an achievement that positions him for a major contract and national spotlight.

 

Zach has deep local ties. His grandmother, Lois Hawkins Eckleberry, lives in Fairfield and grew up in Albion where she graduated from Albion Grade School and Edwards County High School. Though Zach’s parents, Vance and Dawn Root, reside in Florida, Zach has spent time in Edwards County during family visits. His father Vance also worked extensively on the Root family farms in the area before relocating to Florida.

 

Zach’s pitching talent gained national attention during the 2025 Men’s College Baseball World Series in Omaha, broadcast on ESPN. Pitching for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Zach started the June 14th game against LSU, which Arkansas lost 4–1. On June 17th, he delivered a standout performance against UCLA, pitching five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and allowing just three hits—earning the win in Arkansas’s 7–3 victory. The Razorbacks were later eliminated on June 18th after a second loss to LSU.

 

Over the 2025 season, Zach Root compiled a 3.62 ERA, a 9–6 record, pitched 99.1 innings, and recorded 126 strikeouts against just 35 walks, while surrendering only seven home runs.

 

Root’s journey to the top began at Fort Myers High School in Florida, where he shined as a four-year varsity letterman with a career 13–3 record and a 2.16 ERA, striking out 176 batters over 123.1 innings. He then played college baseball at East Carolina University, where as a freshman he appeared in 20 games, going 3–3. His sophomore season saw him go 6–2 with a 3.56 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 68⅓ innings. Afterward, he transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he helped elevate the Razorbacks on the national stage.

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