MONTICELLO — Ike Young thought he had already capped off his high school career in style, earning The News-Gazette Male Athlete of the Year honors for his standout senior season excelling in football, basketball and baseball for the Sages.

But hearing his name called on Monday night topped everything he did in high school.

With their 20th-round pick in Monday’s MLB draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Young as a pitcher, his biggest accomplishment yet.

“It was great to see. Surreal. It feels like a dream,” Young said Monday night. “It means a lot. I can’t even put it in words, but it’s very special. It’s something we expected, but having it become real was crazy.”

Young had participated in some pre-draft workouts and been in touch with a couple teams, so this didn’t come as a surprise.

It shouldn’t have to anyone who watched him this spring, either. The senior right-hander compiled a 1.76 ERA with 78 strikeouts on the mound, all while consistently throwing in the low 90s-mph range. His performance helped lead the Sages to a 30-win season, just one short of reaching the Class 2A state tournament for the first time in program history.

Speaking of history, that’s what happened when Young’s name flashed on his TV screen as the 597th overall pick. He’s the first Monticello baseball player to ever get drafted out of high school.

“You stop and think about some of the athletes and baseball players we’ve had come through here, even way before my time,” veteran Monticello coach Chris Jones said. “It’s pretty special for a place like Monticello to have Ike be the first person drafted. You can’t put it into words. Absolutely excited for him and everything he’s earned.”

Despite the historic honor, Young has already decided he will turn down the offer from the Rays and go the college route with the hope of improving his draft stock in his first three years at Illinois. He verbally committed to the Illini just over a year ago, signed with Dan Hartleb’s program this past November and believes improving his baseball career in college will be his best option as he just focuses on one sport.

“My family and I have come to the conclusion that college will be the best route, both for the next couple years and in the future,” Young said.

Young won The News-Gazette’s All-Area football Player of the Year accolade in 2024 as a standout dual-threat quarterback and starting safety while helping Monticello reach the Class 3A state title game before he started and contributed on the Monticello boys’ basketball team that won a Class 2A regional title.

Even so, Young can forever say he was an MLB draft pick. The perfect way to start his next chapter.

“It just shows that I left nothing on the table and nothing on the field,” Young said. “It feels great.”