Morris County baseball star selected by Washington Nationals in MLB Draft second round

It’s been a wild year for former Morris Knolls multi-sport standout Luke Dickerson.

After leading the Golden Eagles to their first baseball state title in June 2023 as a junior, the Denville resident helped his school’s ice hockey program to a state crown this past March. Last month, Dickerson and Morris Knolls baseball repeated as Group 3 state champions as he tied the state's single-season home-run record with 18.

On Sunday night, the Denville resident and recent Morris Knolls graduate put an exclamation on his high school career when he was selected by the Washington Nationals with the No. fifth pick of the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Dickerson, a University of Virginia commit, was the No. 44 overall pick after entering the draft ranked as the No. 49 prospect by MLB.com. He was the 13th high school player taken overall. The slot value of the 44th pick is projected at $2,122,200.

Dickerson is only the second Morris Knolls player drafted out of high school. The first was Matthew Allison, who was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 21st round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Last month the shortstop closed out one of the greatest single seasons and careers in state history. In 33 games this season, the four-year starter batted .467 with 49 hits, 46 RBIs, 64 runs, 29 extra-base hits, 24 walks, and 27 stolen bases.

For his career, he collected 147 hits, 105 RBIs, 156 runs, 79 extra-base hits, 34 home runs, 79 walks, 58 stolen bases and a .441 lifetime batting average.

“I’m just staying in the moment right now. I’m trying to focus on the big game ahead. As my career goes on it’s going to be something to look back on with these guys who I probably won’t be able to play with again,” Dickerson said following the Golden Eagles win over Randolph in the Group 3 semifinal last month. “They’re some of my best friends that I’ve been playing with since I was younger. This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

A dual-sport athlete, Dickerson was also a three-year starter at forward for the Morris Knolls ice hockey team. He signed with Virginia in late fall 2023 after verbally committing to the Cavaliers as a sophomore.

In a recent published scouting report, Dan Valerio, assistant scouting director of Prep Baseball Report New Jersey, had this to say about Dickerson ahead of Sunday’s draft

“Dickerson has really solidified his stock this spring after a strong summer/fall circuit. The hockey star also seemed to make some significant jumps coming out of the winter. In my opinion it wasn’t many physical tweaks Dickerson made. Mentally he was just on another planet this spring. Seemed he was always five steps ahead of everyone else. The game appeared to be in slow motion for him. Very minimal strikeouts and errors. The biggest question is what position Dickerson will play.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris County baseball star selected by Washington Nationals in MLB Draft second round