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this kid was being recruited heavily by VT. a good pickup for winthrop
Hidden Valley star picks Winthrop
Hidden Valley pitcher Mikey O’Brien, who led the Titans to the VHSL Group AA championship game after fighting off arm trouble, has made an oral commitment to play baseball at Winthrop.
O’Brien said he chose the Big South Conference school in Rock Hill, S.C., over offers from Virginia Tech and Radford. Winthrop was able to offer the Hidden Valley right-hander a total package covering 98 percent of his expenses.
"You can’t do much better than that," O’Brien said Wednesday. "I went down there for a visit this summer and it seemed like the place for me."
O’Brien had a 5-3 record with two saves and 59 strikeouts in 52 innings as a junior in 2007. His work on the mound was hampered by a severe case of tendinitis in his left bicep.
"There were days I’d wake up in the morning and I couldn’t straighten it fully, maybe just 45 degrees," O’Brien said.
The Hidden Valley ace said he expects to enroll at Winthrop regardless of whether he is selected in the amateur draft in June.
"I’ve heard some coaches tell me it’s a possibility and it goes through my mind a little bit," O’Brien said. "If I do [get drafted], I’m probably not going to sign. I really want to go to college."
Another Hidden Valley senior, shortstop Brett Mollenhauer, has made a commitment to Radford. Mollenhauer is a recent transfer from Pennsylvania.
HUGE pick-up by Winthrop...he had some shoulder tendinitis in the spring which may have scared some of the bigger "name" schools off...as I know UNC was after him, too. His brother was a senior on LC's team last year.
Sly Fox wrote:In my experience with the Falwell family over the past 30+ years, they have never been shy about stating what they believe and standing by it. If anything it should be on their family crest.
My guess is we couldn't match the size of that scholarship. I baseball terminology, the Eagles essentially made him their bonus baby. So obviously they considered him very special.
- By LU Armchair coach