KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — Harlingen High right-handed pitcher Connor Harlan secured his baseball future on Friday by inking his name on the dotted line to play at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
“It’s an exciting day for me and my family,” Harlan said. “This has always been a dream of mine to compete at the next level. I went on a campus tour and I fell in love with the campus and city.”
Wesleyan University is located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Eagles are members of the NAIA Division I Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Harlan, who also plays first base, is hoping he can take his pitching to the next level.
“I received an e-mail about one of their camps so I decided to attend and I missed a few days of school, but it was worth it,” he said. “I’m ex-cited that I’ll be able to go to college, that’s one thing, but being able to play baseball is a dream come to and I know I made my parents proud.”
Harlan is coming off a strong junior campaign. The tall righty served as the Cardinals’ ace and helped guide them to a playoff berth. Harlan brings a fastball, curveball and changeup to the table.
He also led his team in wins with a 7-2 record in 11 appearances while posting a dazzling 1.54 ERA.
Harlan’s best performance came against Weslaco East when he pitched a complete-game shutout while yielding just one hit and striking out seven.
He was named the Valley Morning Star’s All-STAR pitcher of the year.