University of Rhode Island outfielder/first baseman Jackson Coutts signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Nationals, the school announced Monday.

Jackson Coutts

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Coutts was the Maine Sunday Telegram’s Baseball Player of the Year while at Orono High in 2017.

Coutts, a junior, was eligible for Major League Baseball’s amateur draft last week. But the draft was reduced from 40 rounds to five, and Coutts was not selected, making him a free agent.

In 13 games this spring, he had tied his career high with four home runs and was hitting a .451 with seven doubles before college sports were shut down in reaction to the coronavirus outbreak.


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