The past year of Luke Brown’s baseball journey has been a whirlwind.

It took another life-changing turn Wednesday with a call from the New York Yankees.

Brown was selected in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the American League team with the 765th overall pick. The Bowling Green native started his career at Western Kentucky, transferred to John A. Logan, a junior college in Illinois, and committed to Louisville in January.

Brown is currently playing summer ball in Cape Cod, Mass., and planned to be there only a month before attending Louisville. Brown told the Daily News in a phone interview he wasn’t sure yet of the next step of his career.

“It’s always been a dream since I was really young to play professional baseball and to have the opportunity, it’s pretty cool,” Brown said. “I actually wasn’t anticipating it at all. It came as a surprise to me, but obviously I’m not going to complain. It’s pretty cool.

“I’m going to talk to my family and figure out the best situation for me personally and go from there.”

Brown is the third Bowling Green High School graduate in the last decade to be picked in the MLB draft. Ben Morrison was selected in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Angels last season, and Jack Snodgrass was picked by the San Francisco Giants in 2011.

The Yankees also selected WKU outfielder and Conference USA Player of the Year Jake Sanford in the third round Tuesday.

Brown made a big impact immediately once stepping on the college diamond. As a true freshman, he started 39 games in right field for WKU and had a league-best .415 batting average in C-USA games. His .369 overall average ranked fifth in the league and 48th in the country.

But Brown discovered in January he’d be academically ineligible to play this spring, so he transferred to John A. Logan College. It wasn’t long after joining the junior college that Brown received interest from Kentucky, Alabama and Missouri before choosing the Cardinals in January.

“It’s been really kind of crazy and having to transfer,” Brown said. “It got really hectic and really stressful, but I know God took me on the right path so I’m trusting in everything and whatever happens, happens.

“The initial transition was crazy because I had not long at all to decide where to go and what to do or anything and coming to a new team, being the new kid right before the season starts, it’s kind of crazy but I’m happy for what’s been going on and meeting new people. It hasn’t been a terrible situation for me.”

Brown played 55 games at John A. Logan and hit .398 with 38 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, 66 stolen bases and four home runs. The Bowling Green native said he liked the aggressive style at Louisville and was looking forward to playing for the Cardinals.

The Yankees will retain the rights to sign Brown until Aug. 15 unless he enrolls at Louisville on a full-time basis before the deadline.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Brown said of Louisville. “The way I personally play really fits their program. I’d really love to play for them and I’m excited to if it comes down to that.”{&end}