Kaneland's Crosby takes on Fenway

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Standing on the mound at storied Fenway Park on Tuesday, Kaneland senior Casey Crosby felt right at home.

Crosby had flown to Boston to work out for Red Sox brass Monday, enjoying life in business class and getting his first taste of what life could be like as a big-leaguer.

“I could get used to that,” Crosby said.

He had his day on the mound at Fenway in front of 15 Red Sox executives, including general manager Theo Epstein, in advance of Thursday’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. The Red Sox do not have a regular first-round pick thanks to signing Julio Lugo as a free agent, but have picks 55 and 62 overall in the supplemental first round.

“It was definitely exciting,” Crosby said. “When I first got there, I was in awe. But when I started warming up, I felt like I belonged there. I thought I would have jitters, but I didn’t feel nervous at all. I think I threw very well.”

The trip was part of the whirlwind that has swirled around the 6-foot-4, left-handed starter. He received attention all season long for the Knights, but now things are moving into overdrive with the draft fast approaching.

Crosby, who has signed with the University of Illinois, is projected to go anywhere from the late first round to the second round Thursday. A piece on Crosby that was filmed after the regular season is scheduled to air on Comcast SportsNet today during the 10 p.m. “SportsNite” program.

“The next two days, I won’t be able to sleep at all, but I won’t be nervous,” said Crosby, who returned home Tuesday evening. “I’ll just be so excited. The whole year will come to a head at the draft. It will be fine.”

During the season, Crosby’s mother, Denise, was easy to spot at games.

She was the one pacing back and forth, barely able to watch any of his pitches. The nerves have not subsided leading up to one of the most important days of her son’s life.

“The only nerve-racking part is you want him to do well,” Denise Crosby said. “I was a nervous wreck every pitch he threw. I’m a little bit nervous about Thursday simply because I want what’s best for him and I just want to make sure he is making the right choices. Whatever happens, it’s a big decision.”

Denise Crosby is happy with the attitude her laid-back son has taken during the process so far.

“He’s just so easygoing about it,” Denise said. “He doesn’t really care about the attention. He wants to play Major League Baseball badly, but he’s not afraid.”

For many outside the family, the fact Casey Crosby has experienced such a meteoric rise to this point is surprising. But it is not surprising in the family, which saw Casey as a dominant athlete from a young age.

“When he was a little kid, he could always throw harder,” Denise said. “He had a lot of growing pains in high school, but I always thought he was a superior athlete. I’m not as surprised as most people are. When he started blossoming, I knew there was potential there.”

Now, Crosby is hours away from finding out if he will be heading to Illinois to live the college life for a few years or beating the bushes in the minor leagues, striving to get to the big leagues.

Regardless of how things pan out Thursday, however, Crosby already has made it to Fenway Park.