For Shane Conlon, Wednesday marked the culmination of a long journey that has taken him from Chicago to Naperville and Manhattan, Kan.
If Conlon has his way, a stop in Oakland, Calif. may eventually be in the offing.
The Oakland Athletics took Conlon, a 2010 Naperville Central graduate, with the 1,028th overall pick in the 34th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
“The draft is funny how it works,” he said on Thursday. “One of their scouts from the area here in Manhattan was texting me, so I kind of had an idea that it was going to be them but didn’t really know when. So I was listening in one of our baseball offices with a couple players that I played with and heard the name. It was really cool.”
Conlon started in all 52 of Kansas State’s games in 2015, hitting .291 with two homers and 26 RBIs as a redshirt senior.
Two years ago, as Kansas State won 45 games and came a victory shy of reaching the College World Series, Conlon hit .341 with seven homers and 28 RBIs.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Conlon said of his college experience. “I had a great time at K-State. I loved every bit of it and I can just worry about playing baseball now. It’s going to be different. You’re getting paid to play. I never really thought about that and that will be really cool. I get to start my baseball career professionally and I’m just really excited about that.”
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Conlon was taken with the 624th overall pick in the 21st round by the Kansas City Royals in June 2013.
According to former Naperville Central baseball coach Bill Seiple, that speaks volumes.
“To be drafted twice, that’s a tremendous honor,” Seiple said. “It’s a credit to his ability and it’s a credit to his commitment and I think it’s a credit to his hard work. I was very proud that he passed on signing the first time to finish up and get his degree. I think he made the right choice.”
After spending his first three years at St. Rita, Conlon transferred to Naperville Central for his senior year in 2010.
For a team that went 38-4 and eventually won the 2010 Class 4A state title, Conlon went 12-0 with a 1.45 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 82 innings.
As an added measure, he was second on the Redhawks in hitting with a .427 average to go along with two homers and 28 RBIs.
From finishing up his prep career at Naperville Central to playing five years at Kansas State, including undergoing Tommy John surgery, the relief knowing he can finally get his professional career started is evident.
“(Wednesday) was a big sigh of relief,” Conlon said. “It happened and my baseball career has kind of been a roller coaster and this was a good way to cap it off.”
All amateur draft picks have until July 17 to agree to a contract.
