Since he was six-years old, Anthony DeFrancesco has been playing baseball, loving the game and dreaming of playing for the big leagues. This summer, after graduating from Red Mountain High School in May, he received the opportunity of a lifetime – to play for the Houston Astros. More surprisingly, he placed this dream on hold to attend GateWay Community College.
Most 18 year olds would jump at the change at being drafted in the 37th round by the Astros. However, DeFrancesco placed his life-long dream on hold to attend GateWay Community College in order to focus on his education first.
“When I got the call, there was a lot of emotion,” says DeFrancesco. “It is not really expected coming right out of high school. I was excited that someone saw talent in me and was very thankful to them. I said thank you for the opportunity, but I am going to go to college and play baseball.”
At GateWay Community College, DeFrancesco plans to pursue a degree in the Physical Therapy Assisting program, while continuing to play baseball for the GateWay Geckos.
GateWay’s baseball team is known as one of the top colleges for its talent and its coach, Rob Shabansky. Shortly after returning from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series as the Division II National Runner Ups, the team held open tryouts for next year.
“Anthony has immense potential as an athlete, and we are happy he chose GateWay Community College to play baseball,” said Shabansky, Interim Athletic Director. “As a young man, he has demonstrated a commitment to his future and has a plan on how to get there.”
Making the decision to put Major League Baseball on hold to focus on an education could have been a tough decision but DeFrancesco is determined to succeed in life.
“In baseball, something might happen like an injury and you need to have a back up plan to continue to live life and continue to make money,” he says.
For now, he sees this as an opportunity to improve his game while also preparing for life after baseball.
“I’m going to attend GateWay for two years and hopefully get drafted again,” says DeFrancesco.
How did he choose GateWay? For him the choice was an easy one.
“When I went to visit GateWay, I felt welcomed and I really liked Coach Shabansky’s philosophy on the game and how he coaches. The school also is very nice and looks brand new.”
DeFrancesco will be part of GateWay’s baseball team for 2016-17. The team has had several players drafted by Major League Baseball teams and has had Gold Glove Award recipients four years in a row.