It’s not every day that a person’s lifelong dream is fulfilled, but for West Geauga alum Riley Huge, that day came on July 16 when the Oakland Athletics selected him with the first pick in the 13th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.
The MLB concluded its three-day draft on July 16 with rounds 11-20, and by the end of the day, a former Chagrin Valley Conference athlete saw his dream come to fruition.
“I was just shocked,” Huge said. “I just saw my name get called, and I was like, ‘Woah,’ it took me by surprise. It’s been kind of surreal; it finally happened. My whole life, it’s been, ‘I want to go play professional baseball and go to the MLB,’ but now that it’s happening, it’s cool, and I’ve been enjoying it so far.”
Huge’s path to the Oakland Athletics began at West Geauga, where he earned All-CVC honors as a junior. He then attended the College of Central Florida before transferring to Division I Winthrop University for his junior and senior seasons.
As a senior at Winthrop, Huge was named a midseason second-team All-American and he finished the year tied for 10th in the nation with 111 strikeouts.
On May 2, Huge pitched 7 ⅔ innings with 20 strikeouts, earning the Starting Pitcher of the Week honors from the NCAA, NCBWA, and Perfect Game.
“I just stuck to the process; I didn’t make any major changes,” Huge said. “I just got stronger and more educated about baseball. For the most part, I just put my head down and grinded for the past nine years to get to where I am now. I got in day in and day out, got the job done.”
Being drafted has always been Huge’s goal long before it happened, but he has yet to be satisfied with where he is.
“I’ve been telling people that I wasn’t happy with where I was. Of course, I was very grateful, but I’ve always wanted to get to the next level,” Huge said. “Whether it was high school playing summer ball or high school ball, it was like, ‘I want to be in college ball,’ and then I got to the JUCO level, and I was like, ‘The goal is to play D-I and play college baseball at the highest level,’. But then, once I got to D-I, it still wasn’t enough. I wanted to try and get more out of (baseball) and get to that next level. I’m happy but I’m not content; I want to keep pushing to go farther and farther.”
Huge will rely on that motivation and drive as he takes the next step in his journey to the major leagues.
“I still need to get the job done,” Huge said. “I still need to continue to do my job (as a pitcher) and make a name for myself. I cannot take the foot off the gas pedal, and I have to keep chugging along.”
Huge’s path to professional baseball began with the college recruitment process. That experience helped prepare him for the next step.
“When you’re young, and those first few college coaches start calling you, it’s nerve-racking,” Huge said of the challenges of the recruiting process. “I also got nervous talking to the pro teams, but then I realized, ‘Why would I get nervous talking to pro teams when I’ve been talking to college teams and coaches? They’re the same kind of people but at a slightly higher level. Baseball is still the same game (at all levels),’. (Athletes) just have to think of it like that: it’s just at a higher level (of play) to the point where you must execute and do the job more. I feel like I’m ready for that and excited for it.”
Regardless of what happened in the recruiting process or with the pro scouts, Huge remained focused on his goal.
“I just kept my head down and trusted the process,” Huge said of his mindset. “Everything happens for a reason; whether I wasn’t going to a school I really wanted to go to or I didn’t get the job done one day doesn’t mean I’m not going to get the job done ever again. I got to come back (to practice) every day and get the job done. It’s more of just sticking to it; it’s not going to be a steady pace upwards every day. It’s tough, but you have to really, really love baseball, especially in college, because you’re at the field for hours on end. You won’t get better and won’t excel if you don’t apply yourself a little more. I was at the field for double the practice time in college, and I think that definitely helped me.”
Representing Chesterland, West Geauga, the CVC, and Northeast Ohio isn’t something Huge will take for granted.
“It’s really cool (to represent),” Huge said. “It’s cool to see all the people come from the community and reach out to me again and congratulate me. I’m happy these people have reached out; it’s been wonderful. It was really cool when my school posted me (on social media), and I enjoyed when they sent that post out.”
