Former Towson pitcher Ethan Pecko achieved his dream of being taken in the MLB Draft, but his journey to pro ball was almost unattainable after he hurt his elbow and his previous school eliminated its baseball program.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander was selected by the Houston Astros in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 10. But before playing college ball at Towson, he spent the 2021 season at La Salle University, where he didn’t appear in any games as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
To make matters worse, Pecko wouldn’t have an opportunity for a comeback season with the Explorers, as the university cut baseball after the season. Pecko then transferred to Towson, where he quickly worked his way into the starting rotation in 2022 despite still battling back from injury. But this season, he established himself as the Tigers’ top starter.
“It was a difficult path, and it definitely was very filled with uncertainties, but I still had the confidence in my ability to get healthy again and perform like I did this year,” Pecko said on Glenn Clark Radio July 19. “I kind of just had to remind myself to be patient and continue sticking to the process.”
Pecko missed the first month of the 2023 season but still made 11 starts, going 2-2 and sporting a 3.21 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Overall, Pecko pitched just 59.2 innings during his two seasons at Towson but has plenty of room to develop at 20 years old.
Despite the factors out of his control, Pecko remained confident in his ability. In the final game of the 2023 season against Stony Brook, he realized he could make it to pro ball. Pecko struck out a career-high nine batters in a 12-2 Towson win. He also gave up no runs on two hits and one walk in 5.1 innings.
“Throughout the season I had some strong outings and then some not-so-strong outings, but I knew that if I put it all together, I could really do this and do it for a long time,” Pecko said. “I want to say there was a couple of great outings, but that last weekend we had won our first series, I pitched the final game of the year and it just felt like this is what I’m meant to do, and I can do it for a long time.”
Pecko was told he’d be the Astros’ sixth-round selection about 20 picks before his name was called, but he understood that it was possible for Houston to pivot last minute. He wanted to hear his name called before getting overly excited.
The Astros kept their word and Pecko achieved his lifelong dream.
“When my name got called it was just a relief and so many emotions, but definitely pure happiness,” Pecko said. “… It just takes you back through your whole career, a split second you just see everything that’s led to this moment. And it’s just super incredible. It’s honestly really hard to describe. I told my parents that night and the past couple days and even now I’m sitting here smiling, It was hard to wipe a smile off my face.”
Pecko is grateful for the opportunity to come to Towson and prove himself as a pitcher. He credits head coach Matt Tyner for being one of the few coaches willing to give him a shot coming off a season in which he was out all year due to injury.
“I think Towson is a great location for baseball players that want to go there and look to play professional baseball,” Pecko said. “… I can’t thank Towson, the coaches there enough for giving me the opportunity and now it’s time for me to pay it forward.”
In March 2013, Towson announced baseball was one of two programs that would be cut due to financial reasons. State funding saved baseball at Towson, and the program was reinstated the following season. Pecko is among the players to have reaped the benefits from that.
“It’s awesome coming from a place that was cut to see that [Towson] did rebound, get the program back and now that I know I can help the program achieve great things, it’s really special and it just feels like it’s come full circle,” Pecko said.
For more from Pecko, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Towson Athletics