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CHAMPAIGN — Jake Munroe felt confident he would get picked in the 2025 MLB draft.

The former Champaign Central standout and Louisville third baseman didn’t have to wait long on the second day of the 20-round draft.

The Los Angeles Angels selected Munroe in the fourth round with the 109th overall pick on Monday after the first three rounds happened on Sunday night. 

“I wasn’t expecting him to go that high because the hope was he would go somewhere between rounds five through seven,” veteran Central baseball coach John Staab said. “But to go in the fourth round, that’s unbelievable. It was certainly a pleasant surprise, and I’m so happy for him. It’s just awesome.”

Munroe spent this past season at Louisville, helping the Cardinals reach the College World Series and finish with a 42-24 record.

The power-hitting infielder delivered a .346 average with 13 home runs and 61 RBI while posting an on-base slugging percentage of 1.044. Munroe, a 2022 Champaign Central graduate who is the Maroons’ all-time home run leader, transferred to Louisville after two productive seasons at John A. Logan College. He hit a combined 35 home runs and finished with 135 RBI in his two seasons with the Volunteers, earning NJCAA Third Team All-American honors in 2024.

The 21-year-old Munroe is the first Champaign Central player drafted since Tanner Gordon, Alec Barger and Jake Snider were all picked in the 2019 draft. Gordon, who went in the sixth round, is in Class AAA with the Colorado Rockies organization after earning his MLB win in late May, while Barger, a 17th-round pick, is in Class AA with the Rockies’ organization and Snider, a 20th-round pick, is in Class AA with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Staab kept tabs on Monday’s opening round via his computer and didn’t have to wait long to see his former standout’s name pop up, with Munroe the fourth pick in the fourth round. 

“By our records, he’s the 10th player to be drafted in school history,” Staab said. “It’s pretty rare, right, to just go on to college and play, let alone get drafted. It’s part of the legacy of our program. We’ve got all of our draftees listed up in the dugout at our home field, so hopefully that inspires future generations to strive for this.”

Staab said he had heard of Munroe before he even arrived at high school through his play in Little League and travel ball before he arrived with the Maroons. 

“When he was a freshman for us, you could see he was set to do some really good things,” Staab said. “The COVID year, which would have been his sophomore year, we had some intrasquad scrimmages at practice before the season got canceled, and he really stood out. He was going to be able to make the varsity squad and play a big role in that if the season would have happened.”

He made up for lost time in 2021, helping the Maroons win a Class 3A regional title by hitting .494 with six home runs and 27 RBI to go along with 11 doubles, eight triples, 49 runs scored, 25 walks and 19 stolen bases. His senior season at Central was even more productive in 2022 when Munroe hit .416 with eight home runs, 45 RBI and 51 runs scored. He also walked 35 times and was hit by a pitch 14 times while he picked up three wins on the mound and two saves, including a save in the Class 3A regional title game against Normal U-High.

Munroe earned First Team All-Area honors from The News-Gazette in his final two seasons at Central. Both years he listed his dream career as an MLB player. Monday made that dream one step closer to reality.

“He’s one of those kids that thrives in the moment,” Staab said. “A lot of kids don’t want to handle the pressure, but he did every time. He’s put a lot of work into it, and just so very proud of Jake. It’s his day.”