Thursday March 28th, 2024 7:12PM

Former Falcon Hughes excited, exhausted after MLB draft selection

FLOWERY BRANCH — It still hasn’t quite sunken in yet for Jonathan Hughes.

Just 24 hours ago, Hughes was a Flowery Branch high graduate. Now he’s a professional baseball player.

“It’s insane; it’s a lot to take in such a short time,” said Hughes, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 68th overall pick (second round) of the 2015 MLB draft late Monday. “I’ve had about four-and-a-half hours sleep. It still seems unreal. It’s a new stage in life.”

Hughes was eager for the challenge of this new stage, opting for professional ball despite having signed a Letter of Intent to play for Georgia Tech.

“We talked about it as a family, and it just made sense,” said the right-handed pitcher. “You’ve got to know you're blessed to have an opportunity like this. God has a plan for everyone.”

Hughes was rated as No. 16 in Georgia and 255th overall by Baseball America and was one of eight players from Georgia and the only northeast Georgia area player selected on the opening day of the draft.

“My name started to get thrown around a little at the 36th pick, and my advisor, now agent, (BB Abbott) kept me in touch,” Hughes said. “The draft is never like you think it’s going to be. I was never nervous, more just anxious, and really it was a lot of fun watching the draft and a bunch of kids I knew get selected. I probably knew about 50 percent of the players picked yesterday.”

The next step for Hughes includes rookie leagues and the beginnings of his professional career.

“It’s up to me now just how hard I want to work and improve,” Hughes said. “It’s a lot of fun getting drafted, but now it’s time to get serious because it’s a job now.”

There will be just a little more time for fun, however, as Hughes will keep his attention on the rest of the draft.

“Oh yeah, I’ll keep up with it; I know a lot more guys that will probably get picked, and it’s a huge accomplishment,” Hughes said.

North Forsyth's Dakota Chalmers, Buford's Joey Bart and Jake Higginbotham, and former White County pitcher David Sosebee (now with Georgia) are possible selection candidates over the next two days.

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