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UT baseball player in pursuit of his dream
Kevin O'Donnell reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa's Anthony Nunez's baseball career is far from a conventional one. Drafted out of high school by the San Diego Padres, Nunez played two seasons with the organization as a pro before reversing field for college.
In most situations once a player turns pro, they lose college eligibility with an exception.
"It's a great loop hole, I'll call it for Division II right now," Spartans baseball coach Joe Urso told FOX 13 Sports. "A lot of our coaches in our league are taking advantage of it. Obviously, we are thrilled to have Nunny [Nunez] in our program."
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Released by the Padres in 2021, Nunez's baseball career could have been over.
"As soon as I got released, I found out that I can play in college," Nunez said. "So as soon as I found that out, the first person I thought of was Coach Urso. I called him up to see what we could do, and he got me through the whole process."
Nunez is making the most of his time with the Spartans. He earned top honors last season and was named to the Division II All-South team while hitting .296 with seven home runs as a sophomore. So, he has two years left to play college ball.
"You have a lot more fun here," Nunez said. "You're with your teammates to win. The main goal here is to win. It's not as individual as it can be in the minor leagues. It's definitely a lot more fun."
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While he is no longer a professional, this second chance keeps his Major League dream alive. He's already a star at third base, and this year, he'll be taking his talent to the pitching mound.
"We put him on the mound, and we say a 95-mile an hour with elite spin rate, the new wave that everyone is talking about," Urso said. "So we are like let's try this out. Hopefully, we can keep him healthy, because if we do, I think he has a future of getting to the minors as a pitcher now."
Nunez is no longer draft eligible. He's considered a free agent and could sign a Major League deal at anytime. When asked about his Major League dreams, Nunez said:
"Going step by step trying to win here and hopefully sign and make it to the Major Leagues eventually."