Former Wall Hawk Pitcher Drafted by Washington Nationals

WALL – A former baseball player for the Wall Hawks has been drafted by an MLB team.

On Tuesday, in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball draft, the Washington Nationals used the 321st pick to select Luke Young, a former Wall Hawk pitcher. In 2019, Young was part of the Wall Hawks baseball team that won its first 3-A state title and also took home the UIL Class 3-A Most Valuable Player award.

As a sophomore at Midland College last season, the 20-year-old Young had an ERA 3.95 and had 110 strikeouts. In November, he signed a D-1 deal with Oklahoma State but took the option of going pro.

Young said, “It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve been thinking about it since I was a little kid. The Nationals just kind of called and told me that it was kind of between me and three other guys, and I got the call a little bit later and they told me they decided that it was going to be me.”

Robert Virden, who has coached and been a major league scout, coached Young in American Legion baseball from 2018 to 2019.

“Luke is the best player I’ve ever coached. I think he’s going to a higher level than anybody I’ve ever coached. Out of probably 40 years of coaching, he’s probably the best one.”