Horace Mann grad on the way to majors

Three years ago, while he was finishing up his storied baseball career at Horace Mann, Harrison Bader had the dream countless other boys his age have had at one time or another: he was going to be a professional baseball player.

“Yeah I had that dream, thought about it a lot,” said Bader, now a star for the Florida Gators fourth-ranked baseball squad. “But it all seemed so far-fetched at the time.”

That dream is not so far-fetched anymore.

On June 9, three days after Bader helped the Gators advance to the College World Series with a three-RBI performance in an 11-4 victory over arch rival Florida State, Bader’s dream of a career as a Major League baseball player got one step closer when he was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

Not a bad gift for your 21st birthday — even if it did come six days late.

“It’s been an unbelievable week,” said Bader, who graduated from Horace Mann in 2012. “But the thing that’s most important to focus on is what’s in front of me right now, and that means taking care of business out in Omaha.”

Omaha, you see, is the sight of the College World Series, and Bader and the Gators are looking to claim their first NCAA baseball title.

“I’m just so fortunate to be in the position I’m in right now,” Bader said. “It’s really incredible and I’m so thankful. I’m really looking forward to competing in the College World Series.”

‘Dream come true’

Unlike the NFL or NBA Drafts, which have become major television events, the Major League Baseball Draft is a little more understated. Most players drafted outside the first two rounds are usually notified by a phone call from their respective clubs. That’s how it worked for Bader, who was picked by the Cardinals in the third round as the 100th overall pick in the draft. Just as a point of reference, over 1,200 players were selected in the 2015 MLB draft.