At Southern Cal, he pitched under pitching coach Tom House, and caught under MLB veteran backstop, Chad Kreuter. As a junior, he played first base at the University of Nebraska under Gold Glove first baseman and outfielder, Darin Erstad, and led the Big10 in hits in conference play.

After his campaign at Nebraska, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 23rd round of the 2012 MLB draft. He spent three seasons with Cleveland, and three more in independent ball across the American Association and CanAm Leagues before returning to Nebraska to finish his bachelor’s degree in 2018.

He is now a Masters candidate at the University of Michigan, where he writes in the Helen Zell Writers Program and teaches fiction and composition to undergraduates. He was a Canadian American Association All Star 2019, the same year his fastball topped at 97 MPH, and his team, the New Jersey Jackals, won the league championship.