Cameron Leary and John West went from a team ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation to one with an entirely new coaching staff as Boston College baseball transitioned between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“It was different,” Leary said.
But their belief in the program didn’t waver because of a new coaching staff. They stayed the course.
While the Eagles didn’t muster the same success this past spring as they did in 2023, Leary and West remained a constant force.
As of this past week, they are the newest additions to BC’s list of MLB draftees. Leary was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round with the 286th overall pick, and the Arizona Diamondbacks took West in the 12th round with the 374th overall pick. With the two MLB selections, BC also became one of only two programs in the country with a draft pick in all four major American sports. Minnesota was the other.
“It’s hard to put a moment like this into words,” West said of hearing his name called.
They don’t regret a single part of their experience on the Heights, nor would they change anything about it. Too many good memories outweigh any of the losses or bad performances, Leary and West agreed.
To them, fond memories of the good people they met and the strong connections built will be what endures from their time in Chestnut Hill.
“As cliche as it sounds, you know, whether it be my teammates, my coaches, professors, and friends off the team, like I was saying before, BC is a really, really special place because of the people,” West said. “We have people there for us.”
The turnaround from being drafted to flying out and signing a contract is fast. Leary and West have already begun reaching out to their former teammates about this next step.
“Birdball is just an amazing community in itself,” Leary said. “All the people that have played formerly, or play now, it’s just one big family. Definitely gonna miss being a part of that, but I’ll always have those guys no matter where I go.”
Whether it’s about the post-college process, going to spring training facilities with their respective teams, moving across the country, or playing against increased levels of competition, they have a community behind them for support.
Joe Vetrano (Los Angeles Dodgers), Travis Honeyman (St. Louis Cardinals), Emmet Sheehan (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Sal Frelick (Milwaukee Brewers), among others, have already begun aiding Leary and West in this new phase, they said.
“I’ve been really fortunate to hear from all those guys,” West said. “They have been really, really good at offering me any advice, answering questions, and just making this process a little easier and a little more comfortable.”
Leary said he’s excited to see Vetrano, whose spring training facility is only about 45 minutes from Oakland’s.
“I’ll be hanging out with him a lot while I’m down there,” Leary said of Vetrano. “I also look forward to meeting all these other guys [that] I’ve gotten the chance to play against in college, like Wake [Forest’s] Nick Kurtz went in the first round. Being on the same team as him will be pretty cool.
But the temperature is not something Vetrano can help Leary adjust to. The heat will be a challenge, Leary joked.
“Being in California after being in Boston for a while, the biggest adjustment will be the heat,” Leary said. “The rest won’t be too bad. At the end of the day, it’s gonna be playing baseball which, that’s the easy part. I’ve been doing it for so long, now it’s like, ‘keep going.’”
Both players collected major accolades and posted some program-noteworthy numbers over the past four years.
Leary was a staple of BC’s lineup and outfield for the past three years. He is known for his powerful lefty swing.
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His 15 home runs in 2024 moved him up to second most in program history. Despite not being the tallest or biggest player—he stands at 6-foot-1 with a 205-pound frame—Leary accumulated 43 homers in his four-year tenure.
“I bring a lot of skills to the table,” Leary said. “I’m just excited to be able to go out and show what I can do, and really be given a chance to compete.”
On top of being named captain of the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact team, which honors nine collegiate baseball players for community service and philanthropy, contributions to the success of their respective teams and embodying the spirit and character of Gehrig, West has been one of BC’s most dominant pitchers during the past two seasons.
The 6-foot-8 right-hander managed a 5.42 ERA in 78.0 innings pitched last season, along with 66 strikeouts, and a 4.50 ERA in 2023. His career crown jewel occurred at the 2023 ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park.
The ALS Awareness Game, which honors the late Pete Frates, BC ’07, who was the driving force behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and a former BC baseball captain, is particularly meaningful to West. West lost his dad to ALS when he was 12 years old.
To this day, he strives to spread awareness about the disease, and is dedicated to making an impact on the lives of those affected by ALS.
On May 19, 2023, West got the nod to start the ALS Awareness Game after he was initially slated to start the second game of the series, which had been moved because of inclement weather. All of the stars aligned.
In what he described as a surreal moment—like his soul left his body for a moment—West compiled a four-strikeout night en route to an 8–4 victory over Notre Dame for BC’s sixth conference series win of the season.
“That’ll forever be at the top of Mount Rushmore for favorite memories,” West said. “It’s not just for my own sake, but to experience that with my coaches and teammates, that day was really special, something that we’re all going to take with us for the rest of our lives.”
As for Leary, two walk-off home runs within the span of a week in the 2024 season are at the apex of his best moments. He hit one against then-No. 14 Florida State and one against then-No. 14 Wake Forest.
Head coach Todd Interdonato said he was pretty lucky to have done that.
Leary was also drafted by the same team which drafted his father, Robert Leary.
“They drafted him in 1993 in the 27th round,” Leary said. “Pretty wild.”
At this point in time, the transition element of baseball is not new to either of them.
Leary and West both learned to become college students on top of playing baseball, and then become leaders and role models for the younger guys.
“I faced adversity for the first time in my athletic career when I got to BC my freshman and sophomore year, and those two years shaped me,” West said. “I’m not just the player I am but the person I am today. And for that, I’m really grateful.”
BC put them in a position to succeed in the MLB, according to West.
“I wouldn’t be here without them,” West said.
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