JORGE INIGUEZ - [X]PRESS 2.0 USF catcher Ryan Lipkin(right) prepares to warm up with former San Francisco Giants pitcher Jesse Foppert.

The Oakland Athletics selected Lipkin, a junior catcher at University of San Francisco, in the 44th round on June 11. However, he is choosing to stay in school for his senior year and will be released from the A's in August. Every June, more than 1,500 high school and college athletes are drafted.

"A lot of guys like to leave their junior year," Lipkin said. "They're going to get [the] most money in their signing bonus. I started to think of the value of my education."

He's planning to graduate in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in psychology and hoping to be selected in next year's draft.

On June 25 at USF, the campus was empty except for Lipkin, who started his day reading a book in the baseball locker room. Around 11 a.m., he grabbed his equipment and headed to Benedetti Diamond. Moments later, he warmed up with former San Francisco Giants pitcher Jesse Foppert and squatted behind the bullpen plate as Foppert wound up and threw fastballs and breaking balls at Lipkin.

"Baseball is life for me right now," Lipkin said. "I live it, breathe it, it's all about that now."

At 13, Lipkin was wrestling a hundred matches a year on top of playing baseball. In the eighth grade, he won the state championship in his weight class. "I decided to hang it up then and make baseball my priority," he said.

In high school, he led his team to two section championships. While playing for Solano Community College, he caught the eye of baseball coach Nino Giarratano, of USF where he now plays.

"I saw great electricity in his body. He had quick feet; he had a really strong arm," Giarratano recalls.

As a sophomore, Lipkin led the Dons in hitting with a .384 batting average and started 47 of 52 games. Over summer 2008, he had the honor to be part of the undefeated gold medal winning USA Collegiate National Team. During the tournament, Lipkin batted .256, hitting two doubles and two home runs with 11 RBIs. The following school year he batted .266 with 12 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 37 RBIs.

On the last game of the 2009 season, the Dons had a chance to make the playoffs but came up short. Even though they did not reach the postseason Giarratano was very happy with the way the team, especially Lipkin, came together.

"There's a lot of people that can handle success. Ryan is one of the very few players I ever coached that could really handle failure," Giarratano said.

Hoping to be selected in next year's MLB draft, Lipkin is comfortable with his decision to stay in school.

"If baseball does not work out, I can get into a post grad, do post grad work, maybe work on a Masters."