Austin McGeorge focused on third base for most of his high school career in Anaheim, California, before resuming pitching his senior year.
Good fortune then turned into an opportunity to walk on at Long Beach State, which he parlayed into becoming the New York Mets' seventh-round pick earlier this month. He now is pitching for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Long Beach State head coach Troy Buckley attended the final prep game McGeorge pitched and ended up inviting him to walk on with the highly regarded Dirtbags college program, which also sent the Mets infielder Jeff McNeil in 2013.