Andy Paulun isn’t cut from the prototypical pitcher mold. He stands 5-foot-9 with a generous measure and weighs in at about 160 pounds - if his cleats, cap and glove accompany him to the scale. What the 2005 Dexter High School graduate lacks in size and weight, he’s always tried to make up for in work ethic.

And it never hurts to be a lefty with a 90 miles-per-hour fastball.

Not heavily recruited out of high school, Paulun chose NAIA Spring Arbor University, a private Christian college, to continue his playing career under the tutelage of Sam Riggleman, who was recently named to the NAIA Hall of Fame.

“Playing under Sam Riggleman was really a great opportunity for Andy,” said Andy’s father Rick Paulun. “He really became a better baseball player and a better person.”

Paulun flourished at Spring Arbor, where he was a member of the 2007 NAIA World Series runner up squad and the 2008 semifinalist team. Though his team failed to make the World Series in 2009, Paulun’s senior year, he put together his best individual campaign.

He finished with a 6-2 record on the mound and hit .323 with 24 RBI, good enough to earn National Christian College Athletic Association Midwest Player of the Year and first-team NCCAA All-American honors.

After throwing his last pitch for Spring Arbor, Paulun had aspirations of playing professionally, so he attended a series of tryouts with the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles, but none yielded invitations to join their respective farm clubs.

“It was kind of discouraging because the scouts would say the same thing, that they liked what they saw, but that I was too short or not big enough,” Andy Paulun said. “But I tried not to let it get to me because I thought I was throwing well, and it’s not like I can do anything about my size.”

After the Baltimore tryout, Andy received an invitation to throw for the Gary South Shore RailCats, an independent league team with no Major League Baseball affiliation. A scout from the Baltimore tryout had recommended the RailCats take a look at Paulun.

Andy obliged and after only a few pitches, the RailCats catcher turned to manager Greg Tagert and gave him a thumbs-up.

“He was a very pleasant surprise. You see a 5-9 pitcher with a slight build and you expect a screwball pitcher, but I was impressed by his ability to throw with velocity and with movement on the fastball,” Tagert said. “We pitched him against some of our more polished hitters so we weren’t too concerned about if they put a good swing on him, but we trusted their evaluation and they were saying that fastball was giving them trouble. Our catcher even went as far as to say he was better than some guys on our staff and we had a pretty good club.”

Tagert was impressed enough to offer a tryout to spring training this year.

“Now not to say we’re experts in scouting or anything, but Independent League baseball is a good place where players who are undrafted or overlooked for whatever can get a shot, and I think Andy has a real legitimate shot at making this club,” Tagert said. “One thing that kept coming up was will the small body type hold up? This will be an opportunity to find out and we think he has the potential to be much more than just a situational lefty.”

With the tryout not scheduled until May, Paulun is staying busy, taking prerequisite classes for physical therapy school at Spring Arbor, working, throwing two days a week with some former coaches and teammates, and hitting the weight room hard.

“If I end up not making it, I don’t want to look back and think it was because I didn’t prepare myself, or didn’t work hard enough,” Paulun said.

OTHER NOTES:

• Huron alum Rick Pflasterer, a freshman goalie for the Cornell University soccer team, was an All-Ivy League honorable mention after posting a 0.99 goals against average and 87 save percentage for the season.
• Pioneer alum Margaret Kelly was named co-Big Ten swimmer of the week on November 24 after winning 8 events (3 individual, 5 relays) to help the University of Michigan take first place at the Purdue Invitational, which took place November 20-22.
• Pioneer alum Kelsey Derksen, a freshman runner on the Indiana University women’s cross country team, was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team.
• Chelsea alum Tony Scheffler had 4 catches for 53 yards as his Denver Broncos defeated the New York Giants 26-6 on Thanksgiving Day.
• Grace College won its regional and advanced to the NCAA Division III National tournament after defeating Spring Arbor in a shootout on November 14. Calvary Christian alum Rachel Roe is a sophomore midfielder for Grace. The Lancers were eliminated from tournament play on Tuesday after a 1-0 loss to Judson.
• Salisbury University won the NCAA Division III women’s field hockey national championship on November 22 with a 1-0 win over previously undefeated Messiah. Pioneer alum Anna Cooke recorded the shutout in net for Salisbury, her third in 4 tournament games, and was named to the All-Tournament team.
• Dave Stasiak scored a career-high 29 points as Albion College dropped a 94-91 decision to Heidelberg University on November 24. Stasiak was 7-of-11 from 3-point range and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
• The Calvin College men’s cross country team came in 13th place at the NCAA Division III finals in Cleveland on November 21st Huron alum Matt Vander Roest finishing in 51st place.
• Huron alum Dan Thurston, a sophomore at Dennison University, was named North Coast Athletic Conference swimmer of the week the week of November 13.
• Huron alum Ali Oatley, a senior forward for Albion College, was named first team All-MIAA for the fourth consecutive year. With 7 goals and 5 assist, Oatley led Albion in scoring for the fourth year in a row. She finished with 47 goals and 20 assists for her career and had 5 game-winning goals during the 2009 season.
• Pioneer alum Lauren Metzger, a junior runner for Kenyon College’s cross country team, earned All-Region honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association with her 34th place finish in the Division III NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship on November 14. Metzger’s was Kenyon’s top finisher.
• Pioneer alum Peter Christmas finished in 29th place and was the University of Michigan cross country team’s top finisher at the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional on November 14. The Wolverines finished in 10th place and did not qualify for the national championships.
• Chelsea alum Austin Rodgers, a nose tackle for the Albion College football team, was a first team All-MIAA selection after leading the Britons with six tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks on the season. Teammate and fellow Chelsea alum Robbie Moffett earned second team honors. Moffett, a defensive back, forced three fumbles, had 2 interceptions, and was the team’s second-leading tackler with 42 tackles and 17 assists.

If you have information to share on other local athletes who have gone on to participate in college athletics, please send an e-mail to petercunningham@annarbor.com, or call 734-623-2561. Follow Pete Cunningham on Twitter @petcunningham.