Three Lake Castle Graduates Selected in 2015 Major League Draft

 

Three former Lake Castle Madisonville baseball players and graduates - Christian Trent, Ben Yokley, and Blake Butera - were selected in the 2015 June Major League Baseball draft.

 

One must consider the following numbers to truly appreciate the magnitude of this accomplishment. Only 1,225 players nationwide were selected in the 40 rounds of the draft.

 

Who is eligible to be drafted? Every high school senior who plays baseball in the nation, every junior college baseball player, and every baseball player in a 4 year college who is either a junior or a senior, and/or a sophomore who has turned 21 years of age by June 1.

 

There are literally a million or more players eligible to be drafted and only 1,225 are selected. And three of those 1,225 came from one grammar school in Madisonville, Louisiana! One would be correct to wonder if any other grammar school in the nation had such an accomplishment.

 

The three became the 7th, 8th, and 9th former Lake Castle graduates to be drafted by Major League Baseball in the 20-year history of the school.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Christian Trent, a left-handed pitcher and graduate of Ole Miss.

 

The St. Louis Cardinals selected 2nd Lieutenant Ben Yokley, a right-handed pitcher and graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.

 

The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Blake Butera, a second baseman and graduate of Boston College.

 

We wish all three of our former Lake Castle Madisonville graduates the best of luck as they continue to pursue their dreams!