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Ronan opts to go to Pitt instead of signing with Sox

Mason Ronan, a left-handed pitcher who was picked in the 29th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox earlier this month, has decided that he will forego signing a professional baseball contract with the Red Sox and will continue his education and baseball career at the University of Pittsburgh instead.

The recent Penn Cambria High School graduate said that the money offered by the Red Sox wasn’t enough to persuade him to sign.

“It pretty much came down to the money,” Ronan said Wednesday.

That, plus the fact that the Pitt baseball team reached the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament this past season, and that the future looks bright for the Panthers.

“The coaches have a really exciting vision for the program,” Ronan said. “After making a pretty nice run in the postseason this year, Pitt is really starting to get its feet on the ground in the ACC, and I just wanted to be part of that. There are some really high hopes for the future.”

Ronan said that he will likely re-enter the Major League Baseball Draft in three years.

“That’s the plan,” Ronan said. “Develop under (Pitt pitching) coach (Jerry) Oakes, and hopefully come out in three years as a lot higher draft pick. I think that’s what’s best for me.”

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