Returning to Louisville was No Easy Decision for Adam Elliott
When the NCAA made the call to grant spring sport student-athletes an extra year of eligibility, Adam Elliott had a tough decision to make. The senior left-handed pitcher could either start his professional career by either getting drafted or signing as a free agent, or return to the Louisville Baseball program in 2021 for a fifth year.
While he ultimately decided to remain in college, it was not a decision that he made lightly.
"It was probably one of the most difficult decisions I've made in my life if I'm being honest," Elliott told reporters in a teleconference Thursday. "It took me honestly months to figure it out."
Elliott had especially been lingering on the decision over the last couple of weeks. He was not selected in the 2020 MLB Draft held earlier this month, leaving signing as a undrafted free agent as his only remaining professional option.
The Louisville native had already been talking to "quite a few" teams since the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic back in March, with the Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Phillies showing the most interest in him.
Before he came to his decision, Elliott sought input from many of the most influential people in his life, as well as those who were had been in his situation before.
"I talked to a lot of my friends, especially guys that are either in minor league systems or guys that had been talking to teams like Luke (Smith) or (Michael) Kirian," he said. "Obviously you talk to your coaches too, they have the most experience when it comes to stuff like this."
The people who had the biggest influence on his decision was his family, saying that they know him best and they "know how I feel about situations like this."
Ultimately, the two biggest factors that played into his decision to return were his desire to help Louisville win a national championship as well as Minor League Baseball's uncertain 2020 status.
"That was kind of something that left a bitter taste in my mouth; after last year and having to end like we did. So it was definitely something that I wanted to come back and do," Elliott said. "Also with the uncertainty when it comes to the minor league system right now."
Now that the final decision has been made, Elliott expresses no regrets.
"I think I made the right decision," he said. "Overall, I felt like coming back was probably the best thing for me."
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