Woodpeckers Add Astros 2023 Draft Picks Brice Matthews, Ryan Johnson and Jeron Williams to Roster

Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have made a series of roster moves, adding three players from the Houston Astros 2023 draft class to the active roster. Headlining the trio is Astros first round draft pick, infielder Brice Matthews from the University of Nebraska. Eighth round pick Ryan Johnson and ninth round pick Jeron Williams round out the newest group of position players arriving at Segra Stadium for this weekend's series conclusion against Down East.

Matthews was selected with the 28th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft after a stellar junior season for the Huskers, where he slashed .362/.481/.723 with 11 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 67 RBI and 61 runs scored. With his selection in the first round, Matthews became the highest Nebraska player drafted since Alex Gordon in 2005. The 21-year-old middle infielder is a native of Humble, Texas and grew up a Houston Astros fan.

Johnson, a Tempe, Arizona native, was selected in the eighth round with the 254th overall pick following four seasons at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. The utility infielder and catcher started all 110 games of his career with the Waves and led the program in RBI (37), runs scored (32), home runs (10) and doubles (12) over his final season.

Williams was grabbed one round after Johnson with the 284th overall pick following two seasons at Toledo. A shortstop by trade, Williams was named the MAC Player of the Year batting .403 with 14 home runs while also showcasing exceptional speed with a school record and Division 1 leading 49 stolen bases. The 22-year-old is originally from Archbold, Ohio.

The newest Woodpeckers will debut this weekend at Segra Stadium with first pitch on Saturday night at 5:05 PM and Sunday afternoon at 2:05 PM. Single-game tickets are available here: https://www.milb.com/fayetteville/tickets/single-game-tickets