Selecting a college.

There are almost always twists and turns during the process.Marian's ace pitcher, Joe Nahas, followed a windy road over the past two years and recently reached his final destination.The stud Colt hurler will attend the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the fall to continue his academic and baseball careers."The process started last summer and we've had a bumpy road," explained Nahas about his selection process. "There was a lot of interest and a lot of let downs,"But I loved the friendliness of everyone at UMBC and the school itself is breathtaking. You hear Baltimore and you think city, but you get on campus and it's green and beautiful. It's a really good school that is affiliated with John Hopkins. It's a good opportunity to be there."Nahas thought he was on his way to the University of Scranton not too long ago.But as the Colts continued their baseball success into June, Nahas started opening a lot of eyes. Unexpectedly to him, Scranton ended up just being a pit stop during his travels."When we started making the movement into states, a lot more schools started calling," said Nahas, who led Marian to both Schuylkill League and District 11 titles as well as a state tournament berth.Then, Nahas got the attention of Division 1 school UMBC."The University of Maryland, Baltimore County was the school I never heard of before. However, I did my research and it ended up being the perfect place for me. It's an all-honors university, which really intrigued me."We went down two days before their scout came to see me pitch at states," explained Nahas, who was crunched for time, but was able to squeak a visit into his schedule. "I loved the school and the area. It's a rural community that's ten minutes out of the city. Everything is perfect and really new."They're putting in a new Bryce Jordan-type center. Everything is modern, new, and beautiful."The UMBC scout came to watch Nahas pitch against Christopher Dock in the state tournament. CD had a team batting average of well over .400 during the season and was ranked second in the state in Class A.None of the pressure got to Nahas.He struck out eight batters and allowed just one run as the Colts cruised- and UMBC became a reality immediately after that victory.The scout offered a scholarship to Nahas immediately following the game. It was an opportunity that Nahas was hoping for- and he accepted.Marian head coach Tony Radocha always knew Nahas had the tools to excel at the next level of competition."He was a true ace, the guy you can give the ball to in the big spots," said Radocha. "It was a privilege and pleasure to have him. He's not just a great baseball player, he is a great young man. He has the physical abilities and tools, and he's going to continue to work hard."He has been working at his craft so hard over the two years I've known him. I feel that on a Division 1 level, he's going to be able to take that next step and do very well. I believe it's a perfect fit for him. I expect big things out of Joe Nahas, and he's going to deserve every bit of it."It's the work ethic Radocha refered to that Nahas believes led him to this exciting time in his life."I just continued to work harder and harder each day, every year. It all builds up to a certain point and I feel like this year I was a dominant pitcher because of the hard work that I put in. It wasn't that I did anything differently. It was all that my hard work finally paid off."