A little after noon on this day 30 years ago, Josh Booty got a phone call that left him with a couple of life-changing options. The Evangel Christian Academy product – already with an opportunity to play football and baseball at LSU — learned the Florida Marlins selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft.
A few minutes later, a phone rang in Omaha, Neb. There, former Airline star Todd Walker, preparing for the College World Series with LSU, was informed he was selected by Minnesota with the eighth overall pick.
Shreveport-Bossier City owned 25 percent of the top eight picks in the draft.
“It’s a dream come true,” Booty said. “That’s exactly where I wanted to go.”
Unlike Booty, Walker had no decision to make. After the CWS, he would head to the Twins organization.
“It’s a tremendous feeling,” he said. “Everyone wants their hard work and desire to pay off and I think at this point, it has for me. I’ve been blessed beyond measure.”
