THE FRONT ROW with Jason Elliott, June 15, 2013

Some boys dream of playing baseball as a career.

For others, that dream ends right after high school.

Fortunately for some locals, they've had the chance to extend their boyhood dreams by a couple years.

THREE PLAYERS have been lucky enough to extend their careers past playing at four-year colleges in recent years.

Alex Capaul was selected in the 40th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and went on to pitch for the Missoula Osprey of the rookie league Pioneer League and Yakima Bears of the short-season class A Northwest League.

He started the following year with Yakima before moving on to South Bend and appeared in one game at Triple-A Reno.

Capaul, who graduated from Lake City High in 2007, was released by the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball on Wednesday.

He was 1-4 with the team this season.

Shea Vucinich, who graduated in 2007 from Coeur d'Alene High, is currently playing third base for the Class AA Hunstville Stars of the Southern League.

Selected in the 20th round in 2010 as a junior at Washington State, Vucinich played at long-season class A Brevard County in 2011 and '12 after spending the 2010 season in Helena of the Pioneer League.

Kyle Johnson, formerly of Lake City High and Washington State, was drafted in the 25th round of last year's MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels and is currently playing for the Class A Burlington (Iowa) Bees of the Midwest League.

Through Tuesday's games, Johnson is hitting .311 (65 for 209) with 37 runs scored and 27 RBIs.

Drew Turbin, a 2011 graduate of Coeur d'Alene High, is playing this summer for the Chugiak Chinooks of the collegiate Alaska Baseball League.

FOUR YEARS from now, it could be interesting to see just what comes of both Mitch Bevacqua of Lake City and Levi Pereira of Coeur d'Alene, who will continue their playing careers at Division I schools next year.

Bevacqua has signed with the Universitiy of Washington, where he'll play somewhere in the infield - most likely second base.

Pereira is headed to Gonzaga, either as a outfielder or catcher.

But just because they've signed to continue playing baseball at high profile schools, that doesn't guarantee anything.

After watching both Bevacqua and Pereira play during the spring, I was convinced that they'd be selected in the MLB Draft last weekend.

For whatever reason, neither were picked.

Three years from now - when they are eligible to be drafted again - could be a different story.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].