Working on Ph.D., then pro career came out of left field

Evan Baun revived his baseball career in an unlikely place: a bar in the Czech Republic.

The 2001 graduate of Catholic High School - now Bishop Sullivan - shined as an outfielder in his four years with the Crusaders. Then he played club baseball his first two years at the University of Central Florida before stopping to focus on his studies.

With his college degree in hand and an interest in international affairs tugging at him, he traveled in February 2006 to Olomouc, one of the oldest cities in Moravia, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Baun had earned the opportunity to study at the prestigious Palacky University while gaining real-world experience in the heart of Europe.

"I figured I would just go the academic course," Baun said. "I never thought baseball."

To make extra money, Baun started working as a club disc jockey. One night in June 2006, he struck up a conversation with a Canadian who happened to be in town to play baseball. The Canadian was impressed by Baun's stats from high school and passed his name on to the coach.

"The next thing I knew, the coach was showing me around," Baun said.

Baun signed to play with Skokani Olomouc's team in the Extraliga - the Czech Republic's version of Major League Baseball. Baun said the level of play in the eight-team league is comparable to college baseball in the United States.

The crowds are often sparse, and the pay is "not enough to live off," much like conditions in this country's low minor leagues.

T he league isn't the most organized, and little details sometimes get lost. Like the correct spelling of Baun's last name. When he signed his contract, the team listed his last name as "Baum," and it remains listed as such three years later.

But Baun, now 26, also said that each year, a handful of players display enough talent to earn offers from pro teams in the United States.

"Some people are real talented," Baun said. "But they don't understand the fundamentals of the game."

Though he hit .304 this season despite injuries, Baun isn't auditioning for major league teams. He's intent on earning his Ph.D. in international affairs. But he plans to keep playing for the next two years while he's completing his degree.

"I'd like to stay and play," he said. "I never thought I'd be playing baseball again."

The Extraliga season lasts a bit shorter than Major League Baseball's on the calendar, but is only about 40 games. And while the level of play isn't major league, the players take the game seriously.

When Baun was home late last month during a league break, he spent time in the batting cage. "So I don't go 0 for 4 my first game back," he said.

Besides giving those who want to keep playing the chance to do so, Baun said the league is a good training ground for players interested in coaching. He noted that in that part of the world, there are opportunities to teach fundamentals to younger players unfamiliar with the details of the game.

"A lot of guys don't know this league existed," he said. "But it can be a good opportunity."

This week, Baun completed his fourth season in the Extraliga, with Skokani Olomouc finishing fifth. The club, which has never won an Extraliga title, missed making the four-team playoffs by two games. But Baun is heartened by the fact that the end of the season won't mean the end of the line.

"There's always next year," he said.

Mike Connors, (757) 446-2366, michael.connors@pilotonline.com