May 4, 2006
ELIZABETH CITY, NC-It's not every day a person sees a lifelong dream become a reality. A love affair with baseball that began at the age of 10 came to a gracious climax on Thursday afternoon as Carlos Gutierrez became the second baseball player in Elizabeth City State University history to sign with a major league franchise, inking a contract with an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
Pending what is a routine Major League Baseball approval of the contract, Gutierrez will become the newest member of the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. The Canadians, who won Western Division titles in 2004 and 2005, will begin a 76-game schedule on June 19 in their season opener against the Yakima Bears. Before joining his new team in Canada, Carlos will fly to Scottsdale, Arizona for extended spring training, which according to Neil Avent, the Oakland A's scout who brought forth the paperwork for Thursday's press conference, will give Carlos a one month head start over those who will not see camp until after the MLB Draft June 6-7 in New York City.
"Carlos being signed early is good for him. I saw him play just one day and his talent was evident," comments Avent. "He has the ability and a good track record which is why we wanted to sign him. With the kind of numbers he has put up, he is definitely the type of player that is deserving of an opportunity. We are happy that he will not be around for another team to draft in June."
"The thing I am most proud of is the type of person Carlos is," remarked ECSU Head Baseball Coach Terrance Whittle. "He is an outstanding baseball player but he is equally as genuine an individual."
While his teammates and members of the ECSU Family looked on, Gutierrez inked a rookie ball deal with the Single A Canadians. A native of the Bronx, NY and two-time CIAA Player of the Year (2005, 2006), he recently concluded his career as the all-time leader in runs scored, batting average, career doubles, career triples and career home runs. This past season was a remarkable one for him as he led NCAA Division II in batting average and slugging percentage. His 2006 home run total of 15 ranked second in the nation in addition to setting a new school record for long balls in a season. He earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors after dominating the CIAA ranks finishing first in runs scored, hits, RBI, home runs and total bases. He also finished 2006 with a .548 batting average, a single season record for the Viking baseball record books.
It was an emotional day for the man of the hour as he humbly thanked all those who supported him. " I'm just so happy right now", said Carlos. "I want to thank my coach for believing in me and my teammates as well. For my mother and family who couldn't be here today. I just thank everybody for supporting me." Later when asked about his future plans for his degree in Physical Education Carlos, a 2005 CIAA Commissioner's Academic Team Honorable Mention replied, " Oh I have every intention of finishing. Coach (Thurlis) Little (Chair of the Physical Education Department) and I have already discussed how I will finish my last two semesters." "I'll finish," he smiled sheepishly. "I promised my mother."
