NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene senior Zach Penrod fulfilled his lifelong dream Tuesday, signing with Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers.

Penrod, a Nampa, Idaho native, who played one year for the Nighthawks will report to the team's rookie league squad in Surprise, Ariz.

"It's 100-percent a dream come true," Penrod said. "I've been dreaming about this since I was 6-years-old playing t-ball. You want to play in the majors one day and I'm finally getting the chance to play professional baseball. Literally the most exciting thing I could ever think about."

Penrod will be a pitcher in the Rangers system. He pitched for NNU, throwing 19 innings allowing 10 runs – four earned - with 22 strikeouts and 17 walks, finishing with an ERA of 1.89, a record of 1-1 and one save. He also led the team in hitting, batting .369 with five home runs and 34 RBIs.

"We are very excited for Zach," NNU pitching coach Nate Bobrowski said. "This is a dream of every baseball player and to see him reach his goal is very exciting for him and our program."

Penrod had been playing with the Walla Walla Sweets in the West Coast League this summer and had been talking to scouts the entire time. After his performance in the WCL All-Star Game, the Rangers made the move to sign him.

"I set out this summer to get signed," he said, "and to see if this was an option – I found more than I could ever ask for."

Penrod is the 12th NNU player to sign with a MLB team after not getting drafted. Slugger Billy King was the most recent to sign with an MLB team in 2017. Seven NNU players have been drafted in the MLB Draft.