Webb will start out in Billings

Washington State University junior pitcher Travis Webb signed with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday and will begin his professional baseball career with their rookie affiliate Billings this weekend.

The Mustangs hold their first workout Saturday and begin their Pioneer League schedule Tuesday.

Webb, an eighth-round pick in last week’s amateur draft (the 234th player chosen), played his high school baseball at Lewis and Clark before spending one year at Arizona State.

“ASU was the right fit for me at the time,” said Webb from Pullman, where he has one paper to finish before heading to Montana this Friday. “The weather, the way I was treated – they matched any scholarship offer I had here – was awesome.

“I pitched enough my freshman year (6 1/3 innings) not to redshirt, and they told me I was going to pitch about the same amount the next year, then probably more after that. I wanted to get a few more innings.”

He got his wish by transferring to WSU in 2005, throwing 37 2/3 innings in 23 games, but was 0-5 with a 9.08 earned run average.

“It was a great thing for me,” Webb said. “I was able to go out and learn how to pitch, to learn how to pitch at this level. It may not have been productive statistically, but it was really productive for me as a pitcher.”

Those lessons paid off this season, as he became the mainstay of the Cougars bullpen, helping WSU post its most wins (36) since 1991.

“I got into a role I was comfortable in and that was a big thing for me,” he said of this year’s success. “It gave me a lot of confidence.”

Webb, who became the team’s closer, was 4-0 with a team-leading 2.17 ERA in 21 appearances. His eight saves rank No. 2 in Cougars history and propelled him up the draft board.

“I know having a good year really helped,” he said, though Reds scout Dan Houston told him Houston filled out his first evaluation on the left-hander when Webb was 14 and pitching for the American Legion’s Spokane Bandits.

Webb follows in the footsteps of dad, Stan, who pitched for WSU in 1980 and 1981, winning the Buck Bailey Award as the Cougars’ top pitcher in 1981. The Chicago Cubs drafted the older Webb in the 16th round that year.

The Reds also drafted (28th round) and signed Tyler Hauschild, who played at West Valley High and Edmonds CC.

Hauschild, a catcher, was assigned to Cincinnati’s rookie team in Sarasota, Fla., in the Gulf Coast League.