The way Boyd tells it, he and his housemates at Oregon State University had converted their last 15 or so undecided baseball recruits into commits.
Kelly chose Oregon.
“We were pretty good at sealing the deal,” Boyd lamented. “It didn’t work with Carson, though.”
The point was somewhat moot – although that doesn’t stop Boyd from giving Kelly a hard time about it. The Cardinals selected Kelly in the second round of the 2012 draft. He went pro instead of attending either of the then-Pac-12 rivals. But the pitcher and catcher’s connection can be traced back to that college visit.