Three Former Bees Selected In MLB Draft

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Three former Burlington Bees went in the final rounds of the Major League Baseball draft on Sunday — a sign, Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said, of what has been built in the organization’s six seasons in the Prospect League.

Outfielder Owen Nowak went to the Houston Astros in the 12th round. Outfielder Caleb Klein went in the 15th round to the Atlanta Braves. Infielder Kooper Schulte was selected in the 20th round by the New York Mets.

“It’s really cool,” Oreskovich said after the Bees’ 8-7 win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp on Sunday at Community Field. “You know, it’s really exciting, especially for the organization, this town, and you know, for me too a little bit.”

All three players played for Oreskovich last season, with Schulte also playing for the Bees in 2023.

“Three unbelievable guys, too,” Oreskovich said. “They’re very talented at baseball, but they’re incredible human beings too. It means a lot for this organization, and I think it’s really cool that all three of them were on the team last year (the first Bees team to qualify for the Prospect League playoffs).”

Nowak hit .364 with the Bees last season with three home runs and 28 runs batted in. He batted .318 this season at Middle Tennessee State this season, with eight home runs and 37 runs batted in.

Klein batted .307 with two home runs and 23 RBIs last season for the Bees. He hit .316 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs for Southeast Missouri State this season.

Schulte, a local product from nearby New London, Iowa, hit .373 with the Bees in 2023, then hit .341 with four home runs and 48 RBIs last season. He played two seasons at Iowa, hitting .268 last season and .274 this season.

Oreskovich said putting players into professional baseball can be a selling point to recruiting players to join the Bees in the college summer league.

“You can tell guys who you want to come here, ‘Hey, look at what we’ve done,’” Oreskovich said. “I’ve used that in the past but yeah, you can use that as a selling point for sure. Hopefully we get a couple more drafted here in the next couple years, and I think we can.”

Photo: Kooper Schulte was one of three former Burlington Bees selected in the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)