 "Photo: Denny Brooks")
This year hitters in the NWAACC can take a huge sigh of relief.
After finishing up his Sophomore season at Green River, phenom pitcher Christian Scholl was drafted in the 8th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and took his game to Rookie ball in the summer of 2008 with the Utah based Orem Owls of the Pioneer league. Also offered a scholarship to play at Washington State, he still opted to go the professional route.
Originally projected as a starter, Scholl appeared in 23 games in relief and was nothing short of dominant.
In 43.2 innings, Scholl only gave up 30 hits, 10 earned runs, held hitters to a staggeringly low .195 average, all while striking out 43 batters to only 14 walks.
In 2009, Scholl will be taking his 92-plus MPH fastball to Low A ball with the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League, and will continue the course as a long relief pitcher, which the Angels now project him to be if and when he breaks into the Majors.
"They expect me to be a bullpen guy, throw strikes, keep the ball down and work on my sinker," Scholl said of what's expected of him in 2009. "Just put up good numbers and move up to High A. Just help the organization."
Scholl was a consistent performer his two seasons at Green River earning first team All-NWAACC West both his Freshman and Sophomore seasons, while setting Green River records for strikeouts both seasons(since the modern wooden bats era in the NWAACC) with 81 and 85 strikeouts respectively in '07 and '08.
When he got drafted, he was with the summer league Kitsap Blue Jackets, also coached by Green River's Matt Acker.
"The first person who called me was my dad. He saw it online and called before the scout did," Scholl said.
According to Scholl, one of the biggest differences between playing baseball at school and playing baseball professionally is the mentality of seriousness.
"The big difference is your career is baseball," he said. "You mess up in baseball(professionally) you don't get a second chance."
Fortunately for Scholl, he feels being at Green River and playing for Acker prepared prepared him for the challenges that lie ahead, compared to when he was coming out of Sadium High School in Tacoma.
"Coming to Green River was the best decision I could have possibly made," he said. "This was probably the best way to go. I needed to mature. I was hot headed and (being at Green River) leveled me out. It helped me respect the game more."
Scholl joins a growing list of players since Matt Acker has taken the reigns of the Gator baseball program to jump to the professional level after playing at Green River.
The most recent was Matt Fields, who joined the Tampa Bay Rays organization after the 2005 season. The year before, David Patton and Pedro Hawkins were drafted and join the Colorado Rockies and Cincinatti Reds organizations respectively.
1B/DH Ryan Voelkel was the second Gator to go pro from the 2008 season, signing with the Atlanta Braves as an undrafted Free Agent.
Just this past season, David Patton cracked the 25 man roster for the Chicago Cubs.
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