Courtesy: Binghamton Sports InformationVESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball pitcher Scott Diamond has signed a professional contract with the Atlanta Braves and will forgo his senior season to play in the professional ranks. Diamond, a 6-foot-3 lefthander, has been on the radar of numerous Major League Baseball scouts for the past few seasons and secured the deal last week. He will report to the Braves' spring training facility in Orlando to take part in the team's instructional league, which begins in mid-September.
"The opportunity the Atlanta Braves organization has given me was one I could not pass up," Diamond said. "Although I have chosen to give up my last year of NCAA eligibility and put off my senior year of engineering, this privilege is a once in a lifetime and every baseball player's dream. I thank Binghamton University for the chance to develop as a baseball player and to mature into the person I am today. I could not have made it to the professional level without the help from the coaches, trainers, and especially the teammates I have had the pleasure of playing with over the past three years. I intend to make the most of this special opportunity and carry the Bearcat name forward."
Diamond went 5-3 for the Bearcats this spring, helping the team win the America East regular season title and earn conference runnerup honors. In his final outing for Binghamton on May 26, Diamond earned a 13-4 win over Maine in an elimination game at the America East tournament. He posted a 3.45 earned run average and pitched four complete games in 2007 - the most on BU's staff.
"This is a great opportunity for Scott," BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. "The Atlanta Braves organization really stepped up to the plate with their offer and committment to him and I know Scott will make the most of this opportunity. I am very happy for and proud of Scott. He is an extremely talented young man who has worked hard for the chance to play professionally. I wish him nothing but the best and thank him for his contributions to the Binghamton University baseball program."
Earlier in the summer, Diamond went 6-2 with a 2.55 ERA for the Martinsville Mustangs in the wooden-bat Coastal Plain League. He led the team in wins and strikeouts (72 Ks in 70.2 innings) and was named its Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year.
In three seasons at Binghamton, he totalled 14 wins and started 37 games - the most starts of any BU pitcher in that span.
Diamond is the eighth Bearcat to sign a professional contract in the last three years and fifth this summer, joining Matt Simek (Worcester Tornadoes, 2007), Mike Van Gorder (New Jersey Jackals, 2007), Brendon Hitchcock (Amarillo Dillas, 2007), Justin Smucker (Brockton Rox, 2007), Andy Hutchings (New Jersey Jackals, 2005), Aaron Davis (Fullerton Flyers, 2006) and Mathieu Bergeron (Quebec Captales, 2006).