[Originally published: Sept. 4, 2014 in The Ionian]

For Mariano Rivera Jr. of the Iona College baseball team, it seemed like destiny to be drafted by the New York Yankees in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft this past June. The Yankees selected the right-handed pitcher in the 29th round.

Rivera, a resident of Harrison, N.Y., is a Mass Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations. He has pitched in 24 games over the course of his career with the Gaels, starting 18 games and making six relief appearances.

Rivera is the son of Mariano Rivera, who pitched for the Yankees for 19 seasons, holding the Major League record for career saves and winning five World Series championships.

Rivera Jr. has completed three years of college so far and has two years of college baseball eligibility remaining. Given these facts, he decided to return to Iona to complete his degree and to gain another year of experience before entering the 2015 draft.

“I knew my decision beforehand was to come back to school and to finish my degree because it’s important to my parents and to me as well,” Rivera said. “It’s an honor; it’s a blessing. The hard work that you put into it, it’s paying off. It shows that you did something to catch the attention of these Major League organizations.”

Rivera has had a tremendous impact on the Gaels.

“Just like all the other kids on the team, he’s got a lot of talent, he wants to win, he wants to be the best he can be; he’s a ballplayer,” head coach Pat Carey said. “He’s at the right time of his career where he can do something with the scouts; that’s what makes him special. Now, he’s got to continue and make it more special next year.”

Rivera has found himself in a unique situation. The MLB does not allow players who have chosen to go to college to be drafted until they have completed their junior year. At this point, the player can either sign the contract the team offers or return to school for their final year.

He has completed three years of coursework, but has only played two years of baseball. The reason for this situation is that he transferred to Iona from Quinnipiac after his first semester of college, which meant that he had to sit out his freshman year.

As a result, he can enter the draft three times. By choosing to return to Iona this year, he can finish his degree and gain another year of experience. If Rivera gets drafted next June, he will have the option of taking the contract offered by the team that selects him or coming back to the Gaels for one more season. Therefore, if he chooses, he can come back to Iona again and wait until 2016 to begin his professional career.

“[Baseball], that’s my dream, that’s what I want to do, and nothing’s going to get in my way,” Rivera said.

http://www.ioniannews.com/sports/article_56a2562a-33e5-11e4-8045-001a4bcf6878.html