Dream comes true for local baseball players

Federal Way High senior baseball players Travis Ishikawa and Shea McFeely, who helped the Eagles win a state championship last year and finish second this year, were selected in this week’s Major League Baseball draft.

“We never really talked about it, we just kept quiet and tried to focus on our school ball,” Ishikawa said. “But it was kind of floating around in the back of our minds.”

Ishikawa, a first baseman, was chosen in the 21st round by the San Francisco Giants.

“I came home from practice and my uncle came out and told me San Francisco had selected me,” Ishikawa said. “I had to get on the Internet and prove it to myself.”

McFeely, a shortstop, was taken in the 40th round by the Cleveland Indians.

“It’s awesome. It’s what I’ve dreamed about,” McFeely said.

“They’re both very talented players and they practice very hard in the offseason,” Federal Way coach Eric Fiedler said. “That kind of sets them apart. Those guys are very consistent with what they do. They never take days off with practices. They’re intelligent, they play through injuries, they work hard. There’s not much you can criticize about these guys.”

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Ishikawa was the 637th pick overall. He batted .415 with nine home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 22 walks (including nine intentional walks), struck out just eight times and had 15 stolen bases.

The Major League Baseball Web site described Ishikawa as “Tall, well-proportioned. Loose, lean, athletic build, like Luis Gonzalez. Played football in high school. Short swing, transfers weight with hands. Out front with extension, backspin for carry. Smooth fielding action, confident. Soft hands. Glides on bases. Excellent athletic ability, proper hitting mechanics. Agility, instincts. Leader on field, plays with confidence and composure.”

Ishikawa will have to make the decision of whether to continue with his scholarship to Oregon State University or play professionally. The finalities of his contract and signing bonus will be taken care of later this summer.

“If it all works out, I’d like to go play pro ball,” Ishikawa said. “But it will probably take a lot to change my mind about college baseball. As I see it right now, until every thing is done and taken care of, I’m looking at college.”

The 6-2, 195-pound McFeely was the 1,204th pick overall.

He plans to do a “draft and follow” arrangement, where he would play for Tacoma Community College and Cleveland would retain the right to sign him for up to a week before next year’s draft. If Cleveland does not sign him, he would be eligible to be drafted again by another team.

Brady Everett, a 2001 Federal Way graduate who was a draft-and-follow project of the Kansas City Royals, was not signed by the Royals this season and not drafted this week.

He is, however, considering the possibility of playing at Clemson, the No. 2 college team in the nation.

Everett was an All-Northwest Athletic Conference catcher this season for Edmonds Community College. He also was named to the All-Tournament team as Edmonds won the NWACC tournament.

Ishikawa and McFeely, along with Eagle teammate Kenny Yun, are playing in this weekend’s high school all-state series in Wenatchee.

Later this month, Ishikawa and McFeely will head to Japan with the city of Federal Way baseball team, which is coached by Fiedler and Decatur coach Jeff Housman. The team leaves on June 18 and will return June 27.

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