Three players from this season’s Rockwall ISD baseball teams, plus two 2009 RISD graduates, were selected this week in the Major League Baseball draft.

Current Heath Hawk player Jake Thompson, and Drew VerHagen, who completed his junior season at Vanderbilt University, are the first players ever drafted from Rockwall-Heath High School.

Steve Bean and Spencer Edwards, who this year completed four years on the Rockwall High School varsity baseball teams, and Travis Ballew (RHS ’09) of Texas State University are the first Yellowjackets drafted since 2008.

Bean, a catcher, was drafted Monday as the St. Louis Cardinals’ supplemental first-round pick — 59th overall from more than 1,200 athletes chosen and tens of thousands eligible for the draft.

In Tuesday’s second round, shortstop Edwards went to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 88th pick, followed three picks later by right-handed pitcher Thompson. He was the first player selected by the Detroit Tigers; that teams’ third draft choice of 2012 was VerHagen, another right-handed pitcher who was Thompson’s RHHS teammate in 2009.

Ballew, also a right-handed pitcher, was the Houston Astros’ 23rd-round selection Wednesday.

The next step for these RISD athletes is to negotiate contracts to begin their professional careers with minor league affiliates of the Major League organizations that drafted them. Congratulations to the outstanding student-athletes!