Linton's North Carolina choice, in his own words

A few minutes ago, Ty Linton told me why he picked the Tar Heels:

WHAT WERE THE KEY REASONS FOR YOUR PICK: “Carolina just fit me as a player for baseball and football. I was going to wait until after the summer, but they are going to let me play both sports, and I really like the school, so I figured, why wait? Why not make the decision? And that was easy. Now it lets me concentrate on my summer baseball. It’s the place for me; I just felt the most comfortable there.”

HOW WILL THEY USE YOU FOR FOOTBALL?: “They are saying as a safety or a linebacker, wherever I fit in best. It depends on their needs; I could be a sort of utility man.”

PLAYING BOTH SPORTS ISN’T A PROBLEM? “I talked to both coach (Butch) Davis and coach (Mike) Fox, and they just said of playing both, ‘Do it until you think you can’t do it anymore.’ That was a key part to my decision, and a key part too is that it’s so close to home. My parents and friends can come to games without having to fly somewhere.”

HOW BIG A PIECE OF THIS IS BASEBALL?: “I play center field; I just finished my school season with 12 home runs, about a .415 batting average and, I think 55 RBIs. I’m hearing I might be drafted in the fourth or fifth round (in 2010), and I’m working over the summer to increase my stock with the scouts.”

AND IF THEY WAVE A BIG BONUS AT YOU? (laughs) “If they throw a bunch of money at me, I may just have to reconsider everything. But as for Carolina, my commitment is solid.”
--Stan Olson