From walk-on to MLB draft, Kennewick grad is ready for whatever’s next

Kennewick High grad Dickinson ready to take the next step towards playing professional baseball

Kennewick High graduate Danny Dickinson swears it’s true he knew from the time he was 3 years old that he wanted to be a professional baseball player.

But he made that dream come true on July 14, when the infielder was selected in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Dickinson had been projected by MLB scouts to be selected in the third round.

It may have been a temporary disappointment for him not being selected on the first day of the event. But Dickinson has always handled rejection well, and then he’s fought back to show his critics misjudged him.

Case in point: As a senior at Kennewick, he led the Lions to the 3A state championship game, in which they fell to Mercer Island in the title tilt.

Dickinson got no NCAA Division I school offers, and he had intended to play at NAIA school Ottawa University in Arizona.

But after that state tournament, Utah Valley State University head coach Eddie Smith offered Dickinson a chance to walk-on to the Western Athletic Conference team.

All he needed was a chance. He made the starting lineup his true freshman season, earned a scholarship, and became an All-American his first two years at the school.

Last summer, Dickinson was invited to play for the USA National Team, and he spent much of his summer playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Late in the summer, Dickinson decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal, and he came out on the other side at LSU.

In Baton Rouge, Dickinson started at second base, and he helped the Tigers win the College World Series championship in late June.

“Winning the College World Series was a dream come true,” said Dickinson. “You’re playing in front of 40,000 fans (in Omaha). That’s fun. Everything just clicked. And then you get to dog pile at the end, and I was at the bottom of it.”

He was also playing hurt. All through the postseason, Dickinson had a broken hamate bone in his wrist.

“It hurt for a pretty long time,” he said. “But I wasn’t missing this. It’s why I went to LSU.”

He said he thought about using his remaining year of eligibility at LSU to perhaps getting a better offer from the Brewers.

“That idea definitely came into my head,” he said. “But the money was still good in the sixth round. For me to go back to LSU it had to be in the ninth or 10th round (for me to be drafted).”

Dickinson signed on July 24 for an estimated $325,000 bonus.

In addition, Dickinson was listed as a shortstop by the Brewers.

“My agents told me that I play all three positions (second base, shortstop or third base) well. The organization loves moving players around,” he said.

Dickinson left for Arizona on Sunday, July 20, arriving at the Brewers’ spring training complex in Phoenix.

“I get a physical and work out there for two weeks,” he said. “Their plan was for me to play a week of rookie ball games, with the idea that I might go to Single A or High A and play for three or four weeks.”

Whatever happens, Dickinson is living his dream.

“It’s definitely pretty crazy. It’s kind of my story. To walk-on (at Utah Valley State), play in the Cape Cod League, and for Team USA,” said Dickinson. “Experience-wise, I’ve done it all. I’ve done everything an amateur baseball player can do.

“This is definitely a dream come true,” he added. “And it’s time to start a new chapter.”

College softball

Two CBC softball players have signed letters of intent to play next season at four-year schools.

Middle infielder Leia Duropan (Hawaii) is headed to Hawaii Hilo; while catcher Bree Waldron (Riverside-Spokane) will play at the University of Mary.

Both athletes were East Region first-team all-stars this spring.

College volleyball

Columbia Basin College is sending four members of its 2024-25 volleyball team to the next level.

Sophomore outside hitter Zuri Reeser (Stanfield), who was named the NWAC East Region MVP last fall, has signed a letter of intent to play for NAIA school Arizona Christian.

Defensive specialist Mia Carman (Oak Harbor) will be playing this fall for Warner Pacific University; while outside hitter Kaylie Christopher (Happy Valley, Ore.) is headed to Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

And middle blocker Camille Collins (Twin Falls, Idaho) will compete for Benedictine Mesa in Arizona.

Last season’s Hawks squad went 27-6 and placed fourth at the NWAC championship tournament.

Prep tennis

Kamiakin dominated the two major awards after Mid-Columbia Conference coaches voted in May on all-conference girls tennis.

Kamiakin freshman Kate Berg was named MCC Player of the Year, while the Braves’ Sarah Miller was named Coach of the Year.

Berg headline the first team for singles players. Hanford junior Lily Deng and Kamiakin senior Annie Tran were also first-team singles players.

Leading the way for first-team doubles players were Kamiakin seniors Kennedy Rose and Eva Frewing; Hanford junior Abby Welt and senior Josephine Safranski; and Hermiston juniors Aspyn Inners and Cate Doherty.

College baseball

Southridge grad Broden Palmer has entered the college baseball transfer portal after one season at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Palmer, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed pitcher, had Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm on March 26.

He will begin throwing again next month.

Palmer spent his freshman season at the University of Portland in 2024. But he pitched in just 3 innings and 3 games before transferring to VCU for the 2025 season.

He got into 5 games at VCU before getting injured. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.