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If you've watched more than a few minutes of a college sporting event on TV, there is a pretty good chance you're familiar with the NCAA commercial which talks about athletes going pro in something other than sports. You know, one like this.
It turns out that is going to be the case for WSU's Jason Monda, who will not pursue a career in pro baseball following the season. Donnie Marbut mentioned as much a couple of weeks ago, but it seemingly dropped under the radar until it cropped up on Twitter on Wednesday. Here is a bit of what Marbut said then, via Baseball America:
"He's going to medical school," Marbut said. "I think he enjoys pitching, but ever since him and I talked the other day, I see a great calmness about him. We're proud of him for making a tough decision. A lot of guys feel like they want to do other things, but they feel like they have to keep playing."
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Monda was drafted in the sixth round last season, but ultimately decided to turn down a six-figure bonus from the Phillies to return to school He cited the desire to go to medical school, among other things as reasoning to return. Now, it appears he'll make the same decision this offseason and forgo a career in baseball.
It's been an interesting 12 months for Monda. Known for his hitting, Monda began pitching last season and had quite a bit of success, eventually being named to the John Olerud Award watch list for the best two-way players. He was drafted in the sixth round, but eventually decided to return to school. He was then accused by Philadelphia of NCAA rule violations, only to be cleared before the season. He struggled at the plate early on, apparently partially due to leg and eye issues. He rarely plays the field these days and has instead gone from a reliever to one of the Cougars' top starting pitchers.
Baseball:
Cougars Host Beavers in Key Pac-12 Series - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State (15-14, 6-3 Pac-12) baseball team hosts Oregon State (25-6, 9-3 Pac-12) in a three-game Pac-12 Conference series, April 11-13...game times are 6 p.m., Friday, 2 p.m., Saturday and noon, Sunday...Washington State is 276-261 under Donnie Marbut, who is in his 10th season as head coach of the Washington State program and 11th overall in Pullman...Marbut is assisted by Gregg Swenson, Pat Waer and Michael Naughton.
Football:
Kennedy grad Cole Madison one of the new faces on WSU offensive line | Cougar Football | The Seattle Times
With each spring workout, with each exhausting rendition of "Midnight Maneuvers" winter conditioning, the Mike Leach regime grows a little further from what it inherited.
WSU to scrimmage on Thursday - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - April 9, 2014
Thursday marks the seventh of Washington State's 15 spring football practices and it will also see the Cougars' first live scrimmage. The scrimmage will consist of approximately 40 plays and will be held in Martin Stadium at the end of WSU's practice. All practices are open to the public. Practice begins at 3 p.m. at Rogers Field.
WSU spring practice: With Marcus Mason guiding the way, Cougars deep at running back - Spokesman.com - April 9, 2014
Marcus Mason’s coaches refer to him as a "middleman" and they mean it as a compliment. As one of a dwindling number of upperclassmen whose time with the Washington State football program predates the Mike Leach era, Mason is someone the coaches rely upon to condense the instructions they shout in the chaos of practice into useable information that the younger running backs can disseminate.
Cougar Football Adds Running Back Transfer Aaron Baltazar - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Running back Aaron Baltazar has signed a financial aid agreement to join the Washington State football program next fall, head coach Mike Leach announced Wednesday.
Mix of youth, experience makes Washington State Cougars D interesting - ESPN
Washington State’s (very) youthful secondary is about to get a lesson in what defensive coordinator Mike Breske calls "sweat equity." While some coaches opt to recruit a few junior college players as stop-gaps to fill holes, the Cougars’ staff believes in throwing youngsters into the fire to see who can play and who can’t. And things are getting toasty in Pullman.
Brandon Golden was looking for a change. After three seasons as a Washington State Cougar, the defensive back needed a fresh start to continue his career as a collegiate athlete.