Keegan Fish C / 2B / Lakota West, OH / 2018

WEST CHESTER - An injury that cost Keegan Fish his junior season of high school baseball was only a temporary setback.

Now a year later, the standout catcher is a professional.

The Lakota West graduate - whose only appearance on the field as a junior came in a pinch-hitting role in the seventh inning of the state semifinals - was drafted in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins and two days later signed a pro contract.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” said the 10th-rated senior in Ohio’s 2018 class, who became the fifth player from Lakota West to get drafted - joining Ben Humphrey, Matt Klinker, Nate Smith and Jacob May - and the first to sign right out of high school. “It’s hard to put into words what it means to me and my family.”

The drama of finding out lasted until the third day of the draft.

“I thought I was going to go on the second day but when it didn’t happen I started to get a little nervous,” reflected Fish, who spent part of day two at a pool with a friend to take his mind off of the draft. “But then I got some calls that it might happen early the third day.”