UC Irvine’s baseball season came to a somewhat anticlimactic end Sunday afternoon at Cicerone field. Looking for their first trip to the College World Series since 2007, the Anteaters fell far short of expectations, scuffling to the end and failing to make the postseason.
This leaves star pitcher Andrew Thurman facing a decision: Stay another season with the hope of reaching Omaha, or move on with his career. And Thurman stands to earn more than a few dollars, as the right-hander is currently projected to go in the first round of the MLB Draft.
Danny Bibona, Thurman’s pitching coach and a former Anteater, knows all too well what if feels like to travel the Road to Omaha. A member of UC Irvine’s 2007 College World Series team, it’s something the first-year coach talks of often to his players.
“That’s something that I’ve always personally wanted to accomplish since I’ve been here,” Thurman said. “He’s definitely talked about it and how exciting it was and what an experience it was to be there. He’s conveyed that and that’s allowed us to strive for that.”
Uncommon but not unprecedented, Stanford’s Mark Appel walked away from about $3 million last year when he was taken eighth overall by the Pirates.
Bibona also knows what it’s like to turn down money for another shot at reaching Rosenblatt Stadium.
“I came back for my senior year and I turned down some money to do that. And that was a big decision but I think that was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Bibona said.
Bibona became one of the most decorated pitchers in UC Irvine history. A five-time All-American, Big West Pitcher of the Year and a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner, he left behind a strong legacy at a program that regularly produces All-Americans.
Simply put, it was the time of Bibona’s life.
“The best times I had playing baseball were here,” Bibona said. “It was going to Omaha and going to Regionals and Super Regionals and competing against (Cal State) Fullerton on Fridays and TV games and all of that stuff is what is really fun.
“Every little thing matters and that’s what makes it so much fun.”
However, Bibona wasn’t exactly turning down the same kind of money that Thurman will soon be offered.
Thurman is one of the top college pitchers in this year’s draft. The right-hander throws a four-pitch mix and throws all four with exceptional command. He added a slider just last summer while playing in the famed Cape Cod League and mixed it in with ease. Listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with a mid-90s fastball, Thurman possesses all of the qualities of a high-end and high-priced arm.
“I know it’s a lot different than where I got drafted and where he’s going to get drafted,” Bibona said. “He’s a high prospect. He’s got the build, he’s got the fastball: He’s got all of the things that I didn’t have.”
After spending a few seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, a shoulder injury ultimately ended his career. Bibona quietly left behind a minor league legacy that was respectable but significantly less notable than that of his college career.
He’s done his best to impart his knowledge on Thurman of the differences in the college and minor league games and to prepare him for the process of the draft. Undrafted out of high school, Thurman has an advantage of having his older brother Tim, a former Orioles farmhand, and Bibona advising him.
“Having someone who has been there and having someone who accomplished as much as Dan did when he was there, it’s good to have that somebody,” Thurman said.
Thurman is somewhat soft-spoken and extremely humble. His father, Gordon, and his brother have kept him that way. But make no mistake – there is a fiery competitor underneath the cool demeanor. He’s thrown a no-hitter and has a chance to become the first-ever first round selection for UC Irvine.
But Omaha still weighs heavily on Thurman’s mind.
“With this team that we have here I definitely think it’s a failure if we don’t make it to Omaha,” Thurman said. “It’s kind of a wait and see – see how the whole draft works out.”
