Luke Heimlich Not Worried About Fan Reaction Ahead of 2018 College World Series

Oregon State Beavers starting pitcher Luke Heimlich said Friday he's not focused on the reaction he'll receive from fans during the 2018 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Heimlich, who pleaded guilty in 2012 to molesting his six-year-old niece while he was a teenager, didn't get selected during the 2018 MLB draft this month. Eric Olson of the Associated Press provided his comments about potential backlash ahead of his scheduled start Saturday against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

"I'm not worried about the fans. I play baseball on the field," he said. "People and the fans can cheer me on. They can boo. They can do what they want. I'm here to play baseball."

Although the 22-year-old Washington native entered the guilty plea and admitted he "had sexual contact" with his niece in court documents obtained by The Oregonian's Danny Moran and Brad Schmidt, he told Kurt Streeter of the New York Times last month that "nothing ever happened" with his niece.

The girl's mother explained to Streeter she wanted the pitcher's baseball career to end because the case "will only go away when Luke is out of the light."

"I don't think he is a terrible person," she said. "I think he did a terrible thing."

Heimlich, who missed last year's College World Series after the guilty plea first became public, was cleared to continue pitching for the Beavers this season.

The left-hander has posted a 16-1 record with a 2.32 ERA and a .211 batting average against across 18 appearances (17 starts) in 2018. He's struck out 151 batters in 120.1 innings.

Heimlich, a senior, was announced Wednesday as college baseball's National Pitcher of the Year.