It's every young athlete's dream to one day take the field at the highest level, and earlier this week, a former Mayfield High School baseball player got his name called in the MLB draft.
Mark Manfredi was selected in the ninth round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Manfredi has been around the game of baseball for most of his life, and he developed his game as a pitcher at Mayfield High.
He went on to play college ball at Sinclair Community College and the University of Dayton. Now, he's the highest-drafted player in Dayton Flyers baseball history.
“The one thing that I would have to say is your dreams aren't as far as you think they are,” Manfredi said. “Sometimes you're just one outing, one opportunity away of establishing your name and getting calls from either teams, organizations or just people that would give you an opportunity.”
Manfredi says he was hanging out with his family at home when he got the call — it’s a special moment neither he nor his family will ever forget.
“I look at my phone, and all of a sudden, I look at the tv and my name's called! And everyone — I started crying, and everyone started freaking out…and then all of a sudden my phone starts blowing up, and I’m just like, this was like 15 seconds. So I wasn't even anticipating it. And it was just like, out of nowhere.
Next up, Manfredi will head to Arizona on Sunday for his physicals and bullpen sessions; then, he'll join one of the Brewers' minor league affiliates.
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