The first pitch thrown by left-hander Brian Matusz at the University of San Diego hit the backstop on the fly. It happened against the No. 1 team in the nation and in front of his father.
The only way it could have been worse would be if he had drilled the mascot.
"I was so pumped up," said Matusz, taken by the Orioles with the fourth overall pick June 5 in the amateur draft. "That ball wasn't anywhere near where I wanted to throw it."
Most college freshmen probably would have become unnerved at the sheer embarrassment of the moment. But Matusz, whose calm demeanor surfaced early in his childhood, struck out the batter and completed the last four innings in a 2006 upset victory over Texas, the defending national champion.