Published: July 04, 2008 10:39 pm            

Conley working for homecoming

BLUEFIELD — Name a position and Brian Conley has probably played it on a baseball field.

“I’ve caught, I’ve played second, short and third and the outfield and I’ve also pitched before, but I don’t think I’ll be pitching in pro ball,” said Conley, a member of the Bluefield Orioles. “It can’t hurt to be able to play a lot of positions.”

He’s done just that for the Baby Birds, having already played third base and various spots in the outfield.

“Coming in they told me I was going to play outfield and then I moved to third base and now I’m moving back to the outfield,” Conley said. “I think versatility is also a strength of mine.”

Conley grew up a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, and always hoped to get a chance to play at the professional level. That opportunity has arrived, and it’s for his hometown team.

“It’s always been a dream growing up and especially since I grew up as an Orioles fan,” said Conley, who was raised in Gaithersburg, Md. “I would go out to Camden Yards and watch some games. It’s just a dream come true.”

A 17th round draft choice in June out of Towson University near Baltimore, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Conley batted .352 with 12 home runs and 65 runs batted in as a senior right fielder for the Tigers, and felt confident the Orioles would come calling on draft day.

“I had a good feeling. I was talking to the Orioles so I kind of had a feeling it was going to be done, but there were some other teams interested,” Conley said. “The week of the draft I had a workout at Camden Yards.”

That workout demonstrated Conley’s strengths, which includes a powerful arm and a patient eye at the plate. While Conley was batting just .188 (9-48) through Thursday, he’s among the Appalachian League leaders with 10 walks and he also paced the Orioles with 12 runs scored. He’s one off the team lead with two stolen bases.

“I think my best tool is my arm from the outfield, and at the plate, I have good plate discipline and good pitch selection,” said the left-handed batting Conley, who has a double, home run and two RBIs. “I’m not going to say I have the best power or the best speed, but I have good at-bats and that’s what it takes.”

In the 50-round draft, Conley went in the 17th round, not that he was really concerned about when he was picked. Just as long as he got a chance.

“I was definitely pleased, but to be honest I really didn’t care what round it would be in,” Conley said. “No matter whether it was the 10th or it was the 50th, I just wanted to get drafted and get a chance to play.”

The 22-year-old Conley has shown flashes of his ability. He had three hits on June 21 against Princeton, and added two hits and two runs three days later in a loss to Elizabethton. Conley also shined the following day, collecting a single, two walks and scoring four runs in a win over the Twins.

His home run came in the season’s second game, a solo shot at Elizabethton. He also had a double and scored a run in that contest.

“I’m a patient hitter. I’m not hitting the ball like I wanted to right now, but we’ve got a long season to go and I’m looking forward to it,” said Conley, who had 10 walks compared to eight strikeouts. “I’m looking to pick things up.”

A three-year starter for Towson in the Colonial Athletic Conference, Conley was a career .319 hitter for the Tigers. He ranks among school’s top 10 in several categories, including third in home runs (36), fourth in RBIs (155) and ninth in hits (209).

Conley, who batted .400 with 17 RBIs and was also 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA and two no-hitters as a high school senior, led the sixth-seeded Tigers (30-28) to a runner-up finish in the CAA tourney in the spring, earning all-tourney recognition after hitting .412 with two home run and nine runs batted in.

While those numbers are nice, Conley knows he has started all over again.

“Coming in, the transition from college to pro ball, it’s a tough transition and I’m still getting used to it,” said Conley, who earned District 2 Academic All-America honors with a 3.31 grade point average in Finance. “The speed of the game is a lot quicker, the pitchers are throwing harder and they have some better stuff so I’m still getting used to it...

“It’s just the speed of the game. Everyone might run a little faster or throw a little harder, but it’s pretty much the speed of the game.”

He’s also getting used to his first professional stop, which is in Bluefield, a town he knew little about other than it was close to his favorite college football team.

“To be honest I just knew it was near Blacksburg,” Conley said. “I’m a Virginia Tech fan, I knew it was somewhat close so that was pretty much all I knew. I like it a lot, it’s a small town, but I’m used to it and I like it.”

One of seven children, Conley knows small towns, leading the Coastal Plain League — a collegiate summer league — in batting last year with a .372 mark, along with five home runs, seven doubles and 33 RBIs,

“I played in the Coastal Plain League last summer and that was a real small town so I’m used to it,” said Conley, who likes the small town atmosphere in order to focus on baseball. “That’s the main thing, I’m here to play baseball and that’s what I’m here to do.”

Conley is still getting to know his teammates, a collection of baseball players who have gathered from across the world, all of whom have the same dream he does.

“Coming in there’s so many people it’s hard to say everyone’s names, but we’re 2, 3, or 4 weeks in and you get used to it,” Conley said. “I’m getting along well with everyone and the coaches treat everyone well.”

As for his favorite treat, that would be a trip to Camden Yards. This time to play for the Baltimore Orioles.

“I guess that’s the ultimate the goal is to make it all the way up,” Conley said. “I’ve got to take it year by year and game by game.”

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com

        

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