
A year ago, Endy Morales wasn’t sure where the game of baseball would take him next.
The Holyoke, Mass., native already had decided to leave the University of West Virginia as the regular time on the mound he had hoped for never fully panned out. He threw just 4⅓ innings as a freshman before a muscle strain forced him to redshirt the following year.
His second summer with the Valley Blue Sox followed, and it was a definite low point.
"Last summer was the absolute worst," said Morales, who had a 10.22 ERA in eight relief appearances for his hometown NECBL team last summer. "I wasn’t pitching well, I wasn’t feeling well. … I had options, but I just didn’t know how good of an opportunity I was going to get. A coach was essentially taking a chance on me at that point."
Fortunately for the 6-foot, 220-pounder who prepped for college at Suffield Academy, Southern New Hampshire University was willing to take a chance. Morales became a trusted member of the starting rotation for a Penmen team that went 41-17 on the spring and was one of the final four teams playing at the Division 2 College World Series.