Courtesy photo Central High School graduate Paxton Kling swung a productive bat for Penn State University this past season.

For the select few who have worked themselves into the enviable position to be considered for a professional sports draft, the days leading up to the big event can be anxious.

Paxton Kling is experiencing those emotions, but most of all, he considers himself “grateful.”

Kling, 22, will be chosen in this year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, which begins Sunday night with the first three rounds and continues Monday with rounds four through 20.

The former Central High School standout who played two years at LSU before becoming a Big Ten all-star outfielder for Penn State this past season knows when and where are two draft questions out of his control.

So he’s sticking to his routine, as advised by his agent, Scott Boras of The Boras Corporation, which is baseball’s most powerful representation.

“I try to stay away from (speculation) and just try to continue to work hard and get after it,” Kling was saying earlier this week. “I’m grateful for whatever opportunity that I have — with whatever happens in the draft or if I go back to school. I’m thankful for both of them.”

Penn State coach Mike Gambino felt Kling was one of the centerpieces of the Nittany Lions’ 30-win season, their most in 25 years.

Gambino said he would “love” to have Kling back next year but quickly added, “I believe he will get drafted high enough that there won’t be a decision.”

Central coach A.J. Hoenstine has been talking with scouts he knows and gets the impression the power-hitting and speedy outfielder will go in the top five rounds and “hopefully higher.”

He’s currently projected as the nation’s No. 162 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

After contributing to LSU’s 2023 national championship as a freshman in 2023, when he batted .289 and hit four home runs, Kling didn’t play as much as a sophomore and explored his options.

“I’m not crazy about the transfer portal, but it was the right thing for him to do,” Hoenstine said. “He went to Penn State and was a leader right off the bat and had a great season.”

The maturity Kling showed, Hoenstine said, helped attract suitors, saying, “he stayed positive and handled it extremely well.”

Kling kept in touch with LSU teammates, notably Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes.

“We (PSU) played at PNC this year,” Kling said. “I sent him a picture of him in the hallways. We stay in contact. He’s having a great year again, and he’ll continue to be an All-Star and a potential Hall of Famer with his work ethic and type of person he is.”

Kling led Penn State in batting average (.358), hits (76), runs (63), slugging percentage (.616) and OPS (1.065). He tied for the team high in home runs (13) and drove in 54 runs.

Gambino called Kling “an elite talent and a better kid.”

He said Kling had a “massive impact on recruiting and the way people look at our program — he was one of the more famous high school prospects to come out of Pennsylvania in a long time. Everyone knows PA is a great baseball state. (But) We have not kept the best players here, and for Paxton to play here was big.”

Kling weighed entering the MLB draft in 2022, after leading Central to the PIAA championship, but he wanted to experience college first. He’s currently two semesters shy of a telecommunications degree, and he’d like to eventually coach baseball in college.

“I just wanted to go to school,” he said. “That’s one thing I promised my family — that I would work hard to get a degree. It was very beneficial. When you’re a 18-19 year old kid, you don’t know what the world is like until you leave home. I’m grateful for that experience. I’m grateful for two different universities and the college life atmosphere.”

Kling was impressed with Gambino — the former head coach at Boston College took the PSU job in 2023 — and believes the Lions are on the rise.

“It (Penn State experience) was really special, and the place keeps growing more and more with the athletic department supporting every sport here,” Kling said. “There’s so many alumni that love Penn State, and that feeds back in the university.”

The proximity allowed for strong support of Central and Blair County fans.

“The Cove is a really special place — a tight-knit place,” Kling said “I’ve seen a lot of Covites come here and watch our games at Medlar — like when we won in ’22 when they would all show up in red.”

His parents, Craig and Beth, made their share of trips to LSU, but the PSU commute was obviously much easier for the rest of the family, which includes older siblings Lleyton and McKayla and Paxton’s fiance, Olivia Smith.

They’ll gather Sunday and Monday and watch the draft, then after absorbing the information, they’ll huddle with Boras and figure out the next steps.

“I’ll be at home with my family and just seeing what happens,” Kling said.

“Whatever organization gets him will be happy with him,” Hoenstine said.

The last Blair County player to make the majors is the late Ron Blazier of Bellwood-Antis, who pitched in 63 games for the Philadelphia Phillies as a reliever in 1996-97.

Several other local players, including Blazier, were signed as free agents over the years. Left-handed pitcher Christian Bridenbaugh, also of Central High School, was selected in the 11th round of the 1998 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he’s believed to be the highest of local draftees.

Like the aforementioned, Paxton Kling has a chance to make some history over these next few days and years, and as he embarks on a new journey, he’ll hear the Cove, Blair County, Central PA and Penn State rooting for him.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.