The last Bearcat to be taken in the first three rounds was Ian Happ, who went to the Chicago Cubs with the No. 9 overall pick in 2015.
A left-handed hitting outfielder, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Vidourek rose to prominence throughout the past season, when he batted .304 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs. He scored 56 runs and stole 39 bases en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.
“Landyn is arguably our most improved player over the past two years,” UC coach Jordan Bischel said in a news release. “He has worked incredibly hard to go from one of the most talented players to one of the best players in the Big 12. He stole eight more bases than any other player in the Big 12 this year while also being 11th in the league with 14 home runs.
“This was all despite missing seven games late in the season due to injury. This explosive combination makes him one most exciting players in this year’s draft.”
Credit: DOUG McSCHOOLER
Credit: DOUG McSCHOOLER
He raised his batting average nearly 60 points this season after hitting .247 with six homers and 18 steals in 2024.
For his career, Vidourek appeared in 147 games at UC and hit .270 with 24 homers, 98 RBIs, 22 doubles and 65 steals.
He also posted a .989 fielding percentage last season with three outfield assists and one error.
At Badin, Vidourek was a standout in both baseball and football.
A quarterback for the Rams in the fall, he was the GLC Coed Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 when he threw for 1,279 yards and ran for 894 while accounting for 28 touchdowns.
In the spring, he earned first-team all-conference honors twice, hitting .389 with 18 steals in 2022 and .337 with 30 steals in ’21 for the Rams.
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