Eric Sorenson
Sometimes in life you must expect the unexpected.
It was a feeling former Arizona State outfielder Cory Hahn got over the weekend when his phone buzzed moments before his flight left the runway. On the other line was the Arizona Diamondbacks announcing they were selecting him in the 34th round.
This comes just over two years after he was paralyzed from the chest down in a freak accident sliding into second base during his freshman season against New Mexico.
Now Hahn has a new lease on life as a member of the Diamondbacks.
“It’s been a great couple days,” Hahn told Pros2Preps.com during a phone interview Monday afternoon. “With the drafting [from] the Diamondbacks to all the support I’ve gotten from everybody… it’s awesome to see the outreach…and see how first-class [the Diamondbacks] are.”
Hahn, who is a c5 quadriplegic, said he was touched and humbled by the selection and is looking forward to becoming a part of the organization moving forward. It’s the type of positive attitude he also conveys during his public speaking engagements around the country.
“I try to just relay across…you may be dealt a bad hand of cards that you have to overcome,” he explained to Pros2Preps.com. “But live your life the best you can and do the best you can. Whenever I speak to kids or groups I send the message that I’m a living example of that. Things can be taken away from you in an instant.”
He also said he’s been shown great support by the Sun Devil family and his former teammates who he referred to as his “best friends.”
Hahn said he has spoken with Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall about joining the club in some sort of front office capacity as early as this fall when he returns to ASU.
ASU also had starting pitcher Trevor Williams taken by the Miami Marlins in the second round (#44 overall) and outfielder Kasey Coffman selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round (#306 overall).
