PORTLAND, Ore. -- Luke Heimlich, a standout pitcher for Oregon State's top-ranked baseball team, pleaded guilty to a single count of molesting a 6-year-old girl when he was a teenager.
Heimlich's criminal history was reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday, a day or two before he was slated to pitch in this weekend's regional final against Vanderbilt. The winner advances to the College World Series.
On Friday, though, he released a statement saying he has asked to be excused from playing.
Luke Heimlich said in the statement that he didn't want to be a distraction to the team.