By Marty Maciaszek
Daily Herald Staff
Thomas Kelly approached his college baseball future the way a shortstop is supposed to go after a slow chopper past the mound. The Prospect senior made sure he got what he was looking for with an aggressive approach. The result for Kelly is a scholarship to play Division I baseball at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.
"A lot of other schools showed a lot of interest but no one showed the amount of interest Stetson had," Kelly said. "It was a caring feeling and they really wanted me."
The Prospect Illinois shortstop also wanted a place such as Stetson. A small, private school (2,300 students) with great academics and a competitive baseball program.
Kelly said he started researching potential schools on the Internet and made initial contact with Stetson in April. Head coach Pete Dunn is in the top 10 in victories for active Division I coaches (1,097-688 in 30 seasons) and the program has made seven of its 16 NCAA tournament trips in the last 10 years.
"I knew I had to take the initiative," said Kelly, who hit .300 last spring for the Knights after spending his first two years at Loyola, "and if it was a place I wanted to pursue I had to go out and get it."
Kelly's fall-league team of top players from the Chicago, Illinois area made an October trip to Florida and Stetson assistant Chris Roberts came to see him play. That led to a campus visit with Dunn and the offer Kelly wanted and couldn't refuse. "It was a whirlwind of a miracle because it happened so fast," Kelly said. "It's a perfect fit. I knew instantly it was the place for me. "For a top program it was important I get it done (now). I didn't want to lose an opportunity as great as that one."
Especially since Kelly said he'll get a chance right away to play shortstop at Stetson. The school's previous shortstop, Casey Frawley, made the Louisville Slugger freshman All-America team and was taken in the 17th round of this year's major league draft by the Indians.
"Coach Dunn said they don't recruit players to just come in and sit," said Kelly, who wants to study business or sports management. "They want you to walk in the door and play immediately. "That was so key to me because I didn't want to go to a place and sit."