After getting picked in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft in June 2009, pitcher Austin Pressly turned down $75,000 from the Milwaukee Brewers and came to Sinclair Community College.
“I said I’d sign (with the Brewers) for $150,000,” Pressly said. “They ended up not giving me the money I wanted because their head guy had to watch me (throw) and he never came.”
Pressly, a Franklin-Monroe graduate and 2009 All-Area Division IV Player of the Year, said it was a tough decision passing up the cash and coming to college.
“I really wish I had the money right now. The money would have been nice,” Pressly said. “But I can look at it the other way as well that I can get bigger, stronger and then double what I could of possibly had. It’s just a guessing game.”
Pressly said he originally wanted to play for a Division I school after deciding not to sign, but said his grades prevented him from doing so. Pressly said he ended up choosing Sinclair after a few conversations with Tartan Pride coach Steve Dintaman, who coached his brother at Patterson Park.
“I really didn’t know how good Sinclair baseball was, but after talking to (Dintatman) a while I realized they had a really good team so then I figured this is probably my best option.” Pressly said. “I figured that if I played college baseball and got a degree, I’d have something to fall back on if I blew my arm out.”
Another reason Pressly chose Sinclair was because of MLB Draft eligibility rules. Players that attend Division I schools must wait at least three years before they are eligible to be drafted again, but players that attend junior colleges like Sinclair can get drafted after their freshmen seasons.
“That’s a big reason why I came to Sinclair,” Pressly said. “I can get drafted after my freshmen or sophomore year.”
Of the three pitches Pressly throws – fastball, slider, change-up – he said his best pitch is the fastball that consistency clocks between 88-92 MPH.
“I live and die with the fastball,” Pressly said. “My goal when I throw a baseball is to throw the ball as hard as I can every time.”
After posting a 6-0 record and 0.00 ERA for Franklin-Monroe last year, Pressly said he expects Sinclair baseball to have an amazing team this year and hopes to have a good year individually.
“My goals are to have a good ERA, to win some games and to become a better player than I was the year before,” Pressly said.