A Sea Of Red

The Next Step

By Joe Conroy
Published: April 14, 2008


Michael Spooneybarger/Media General News Service

Mike Solbach was down. Really down. He had come so close to his dream of playing professional baseball. In mid-August that dream nearly vanished.

Solbach was drafted in the 19th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, but contract talks slowed by August after the organization learned that the right-handed pitcher was not 100 percent healthy and likely needed surgery on his throwing arm.

The newly instituted Aug. 15 deadline to sign with a professional contract (or be forced to head back to college) was closing in and that dream was slowly fading away. Even if he headed back to Liberty University, Solbach — who was a redshirt junior last season — would be physically unable to pitch for the Flames for the 2008 season thanks to an elbow injury, effectively ending his college career.