Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich, a star pitcher for the No. 1 baseball team in the country, will not accompany the team to the College World Series in Omaha, he announced in a statement on Thursday.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reported last week that Heimlich had plead guilty to a felony child molestation charge when he was 15 years old.
Heimlich, 21, did not play in the team's Super Regional last week and will not play again this season.
"I'm sad to say I am not joining them," Heimlich said in a statement issued through a family representative, "because doing so would only create further distraction for my teammates, more turmoil for my family, and given the high profile of the national championship, direct even more unwanted attention to an innocent young girl.