Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

By DENNIS SEMRAU

Wissports.net

 

Conor Fisk opted to follow his head instead of his heart, when it came time to make a decision on his future in baseball.

 

Fisk was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 34^th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in June. He had until Monday at 11 p.m. to sign with the Brewers or follow the junior college route and return to the free agent pool next year.

 

It was a difficult decision that Fisk said he and his father, Kevin, gave a lot of thought to.

 

In the end, though, Fisk declined the Brewers final offer and elected to enroll at Wabash Valley Junior College in Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he will attend classes and pitch his freshman year.

 

"We flew back a couple of days before the deadline so we had time to talk to the Brewers," said Fisk, who had been on vacation with his family in Pennsylvania. "They made several offers and we countered but in the end it wasn t even close so I decided to go to school and work hard to prove them wrong."

 

A right-handed power pitcher out of Grafton High School, Fisk earned Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Summer Baseball first-team all-state honors his senior season. He also led the Black Hawks to a 21-10 record and the school s first berth in the state tournament since 1986.

 

While he didn t reveal the particulars of the negotiations, Fisk admitted the Brewers final offer wasn t enough to keep him from heading off to college.

 

"We were trying to decide what to do and were willing to accept less money from the Brewers," he said. "Anybody else, we wouldn t have gotten that far. It was about the money."

 

Fisk didn t have much time to mull over his final decision. He had to report to school on Tuesday. His first day of classes was on Thursday.

 

"It s been a busy week," said Fisk during a phone conversation Thursday evening. "Once I decided not to sign, I had to pack and get ready to go to school. "I decided to come here, gain a year of maturity and go back into the draft and see if I can improve my bargaining position."

 

While Fisk said his ultimate plan for after baseball is to pursue a career in athletic training, he will take general college classes at Wabash Valley JC, pursue an associate s degree and hopefully sign with a Division I school if he doesn t sign a pro contract.

 

But Fisk said he seriously considered signing with the Brewers.

 

"Of course it was exciting to be selected by your hometown team. It was cool," he said. "This has easily been the best summer of my life. We went to state and I was drafted by the Brewers."

 

Fisk was 11-2 with a 1.02 earned run average his senior year and helped lead the Black Hawks to their first state tournament appearance since 1986. He recorded 170 strikeouts in 103 innings, a ratio of 11.6 strikeouts per seven innings.

 

He allowed five earned runs on six hits with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in seven innings in a 9-7 loss to eventual state runner-up West Bend West in the quarterfinals of the WIAA State Tournament on July 28.

 

Fisk, though, admitted that he has a lot to work on if he is able to fulfill his dream to one day pitch in the Major Leagues.

 

 "I have to work hard and go out and have a great year," said Fisk, who was selected by the Brewers on June 9, the third and final day of the draft. "Another year of maturity and I will go back into the draft pool and see what happens."