Malvern Prep baseball player Chris Newell, the 96th-ranked draft prospect according to MLB.com who was instead selected in the later rounds by the St. Louis Cardinals, will put his professional career on hold to compete at the University of Virginia, writes Marc Narducci for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Despite being a highly touted prospect, Newell, a 6-foot-3 outfielder who bats and throws left-handed, did not hear his name called until the 37th round.

“Before the draft, we set the bonus money pretty high of what I would be asking for,” he said. “I sat and watched the first couple of rounds. And once those were over, I kind of figured I would be going to school.”

Newell said it was still an honor to be drafted, no matter how late it was.

“I am fortunate a team took me late just to, in a way, congratulate me for everything I have done so far,” he said.

Read more about Chris Newell in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.