McClatchy Washington Bureau

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Casey Weathers loved to hit. So when Sacramento City College baseball coach Andy McKay suggested a move from outfielder to pitcher, the response was tepid.

Weathers kept hitting every day, did no extra pitching work and admits to getting by on the mound solely on a decent arm.

"Hitting was my life," he said. "It was kind of hard to let go."

But sometimes letting go means grabbing onto a different opportunity. Weathers eventually bought into the switch, developing into a top reliever at Vanderbilt and emerging as the No.8 pick in the 2007 draft.

The bullpen standout for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers also is an Olympian, selected earlier this month to play for the U.S. team headed to Beijing for the Summer Games, set for Aug.8-24.

"It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime things," said Weathers, who played shortstop and outfield at Laguna Creek High School.

McKay wonders what might have happened if Weathers had never stepped onto the mound.

Read the complete story at sacbee.com.