University of Illinois Graduate

NIL Opportunities

Career Highs

• Hits: 1, 4x,  last - at Iowa, May 16, 2021
• Doubles: 1, at Minnesota, March 13, 2021 
• Home runs: 1, vs. Purdue, April 18, 2021 
• Total bases: 4, Purdue, Apr 18, 2021  
• RBI: 1, 2x, last - vs. Purdue, April 18, 2021
• Runs scored: 1, 8x, last - vs. Youngstown State, Feb. 17, 2023
• Walks: 1, 7x, last - at Indiana, April 30, 2022
• Hit by pitch: 1 - at Southern Miss, Feb. 25, 2023
• Sac flies: 1, at Minnesota, March 13, 2021 
• At bats: 4, vs. Northwestern, March 27, 2021 
• Field chances: 7, vs. Northwestern, March 27, 2021 
• Putouts: 2, 5x, last - vs. Maryland, May 8, 2021 
• Assists: 4, Northwestern, March 27, 2021

Redshirt Junior - 2023

• Appeared in seven games on the season as a pinch hitter or defensive substitution.
• Scored lone run of the season on Feb. 17 vs. Youngstown State.

Sophomore - 2022

• Academic All-Big Ten
• Appeared in seven games

Freshman - 2021

• Academic All-Big Ten
• Appeared in 18 games with 10 starts at second base
• First career home run vs. Purdue on April 18

Freshman - 2020 (COVID-19 Shortened)

• Played in three games with one start at third base

High School

• No. 1 shortstop in Wisconsin by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 61 shortstop in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 7 recruit in Wisconsin by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 367 recruit in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
• 2019 Conference Player of the Year
• 2019 Team MVP
• 2019 team captain
• 2019 Scholar Athlete of the Year
• Hit .380 as a freshman, .320 as a sophomore and .360 as a junior
• 2017 Area Code Games

Personal

• Born April 12, 2001 
• Son of Jesse and Tiffany Watson
• Brother, Cyrillo Watson, played baseball at Illinois and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019
• Plans to major in sports psychology 
• Plans to work in sports psychology following his playing career
• Chose Illinois over Indiana, Michigan and Purdue
• Chose Illinois because, "I have been around the campus for so long and it felt like home."