Over the years most ministers have had conversations with proud mamas and papas who want to tell you how wonderful one of their kids is. Most of us have done the same thing ourselves.

But seldom is it from the parent of a college baseball player who is about to be a prospect in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft the very next week – and the minister she is talking to has been a baseball junky for nearly 60 years.

Such was the scenario Sunday morning in the sanctuary of Hope Presbyterian Church in Martinsville, VA. One of the regular attending couples in the church (their membership is still back in a PCA church in North Carolina) is Mark and Debbie Heath. Debbie grew up in First Presbyterian Church, Stanley, NC and since their marriage she and Mark have been members of several different PCA churches as work assignments moved them around.

Mark is currently president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp – which has got to be one of the toughest jobs in the county. Martinsvile-Henry County has among the nation’s highest unemployment rates as all of the furniture factories and mills producing cloth have closed; the last one just announced recently.

Mark and Debbie have one son serving in Iraq. But their youngest son, Ben, just finished his junior year at Penn State and is one of the catchers nation-wide who is a major league prospect this year. He doesn’t really know what to expect when the draft begins next Monday, June 7, but he’s ready for anything – as any good catcher must be.

“I’m really busy right now, talking to a lot of teams. Hopefully, something will work out. If not I’ll be back in school next year and hope to have another good year.”

Mom is also able to click off each of those teams for you, particularly the ones he has been asked to work out for – Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, if there’s time this week the Washington Nationals. (Your author was crushed not to hear the Detroit Tigers on the list.)

Mom doesn’t think he’s going back to Happy Valley. “He only has 24 hours left to get his degree; it won’t take long. And he’s studying Kinesiology – a career as a player will only enhance his understanding of his patients. This is a great opportunity for him.”

Even if they don’t make the College World Series (final selections will be made later today, May 31), Heath has just completed one of the best seasons in Penn State history. He is only one of only two players in the nation named to both the Johnny Bench (best catcher) Award and Dick Howser (top player) Trophy semifinal lists.

Heath is projected to be picked in rounds 4-10 of the upcoming draft by Perfect Game Crosschecker, a leading on-line scouting service.

Heath’s season is unmatched among the Johnny Bench semifinalists, according to Penn State’s sports information department. Not only has he hit for a strong average (.369), but also for incredible power (19 home runs – a new school record).

In fact, Heath has six more home runs than any other Bench semifinalist. He is the leader in a number of key statistical categories, including home runs (19), extra-base hits (36) and total bases (148).

He is also second in OPS (on-base plus slugging) (1.198), a good indicator of a player’s overall season, incorporating reaching base and hitting for power.

Heath is second in slugging percentage (.747), third in runs scored (53) and fifth in RBI (57). He is also in the top 10 in average, hits (73) and doubles (16).

Round 1 of the draft is next Monday evening at 7:00PM (Eastern); Rounds 2-30 begin at noon on Tuesday, and they finish up with Rounds 31-50 on Wednesday. If the experts at Perfect Game are on target, Tuesday afternoon will be a special time for Ben Heath.