Former New Iberia Senior High and McNeese State University pitcher Rusty Begnaud signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Royals Friday.

Begnaud was expected to immediately report to Surprise, Ariz., to play for the Arizona Royals in Rookie League.

"I've known about him since high school and I've seen him pitch at McNeese," said Mark Willoughby, the Royals scout who signed Begnaud. "What we like about him is his professional approach to the game and (we) were very interested in his ability to throw strikes and compete."

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Begnaud, who was a fifth year senior this year at McNeese, was excited about the opportunity to play pro baseball.

"I'm pretty excited," said Begnaud. "It's a great honor to play at the next level and I'm ready to see how I stack up with the competition.

"It's been pretty amazing."

The signing marks the end of a roller-coaster couple of weeks for Begnaud, who was hoping to be drafted in the recently-completed major league baseball draft.

"I was told pre-draft that there was a chance that I would be taken during the draft," said Begnaud. "It would be somewhere, probably during the second day.

"I was kind of hoping for that and it didn't work out."

Soon after the draft, teams came calling for the services of the McNeese ace.

"I was a little let down but I was told to keep working out and that something would happen," said Begnaud. "The Royals called Thursday at 2:30 and at about 2:35 the deal was done.

"I signed all the paperwork Friday and I'm flying out to Arizona on Saturday."

According to Willoughby, Begnaud was going to the rookie league because as an older player, he is expected to be a guiding influence for the younger players that the Royals have on the roster.

"The Rookie League is the entry league for the younger players," said Willoughby. "It is mainly an instructional league. Players come in 17, 18-years-old and are wide eyed about playing baseball. As an older player, Rusty can come in and give a stabilizing hand to the pitching staff immediately.

"I've thought all along that he was the type of player who could do well in our organization even though he wasn't drafted."

Begnaud had been reportedly on the boards of several teams during the draft but didn't get a call. That wasn't surprising to Willoughby.

"The draft can be a crazy thing," said Willoughby. "In the first couple of rounds that teams take the top talent then the rest of the draft is spent filling needs.

"Sometimes it is a matter of having a player in mind, but when it is time to make the selection another players is on the board and a team will take the other player.

"We've had several players in the organization not be drafted but were signed to contracts and are playing."

Begnaud said that several teams talked to him after the draft but the Royals made the best offer and he went with them.

"The Royals had been interested in me for over a year and were pushing hard for me but it still kind of caught me off guard," said Begnaud. "I knew something was happening but I didn't want to get my hopes up and then get shot down again."

Willoughby thinks that Begnaud has a good chance in the pros.

"We want guys who can come in and help the organization," said Willoughby. "Rusty had a great curve and off speed pitch and an average fastball, but he always places it for a strike. He can be a middle or long reliever and who knows, if he can work with someone in the minors and pick up a little speed on his fastball, he becomes a totally different type of pitcher for us."

The Rookie League starts on June 22 and according to Begnaud gives him a chance to move up to Class A ball during the summer, depending on his performance and the performance of players elsewhere in the Royals' farm system.

Begnaud's former coach at NISH, Greg Boudreaux, thinks it is a great opportunity for Begnaud.

"It's very hard to pick potential at a young age. You look for those who are hard workers and Rusty was a hard worker," said Boudreaux. "If you looked at Rusty as a freshman in high school, I don't think many would have taken a chance on him.

"But what Rusty got he worked hard for. If he works hard like he has done his whole life, he will be successful. The main thing is that he has his foot in the door right now and he can't look back."

"They told me to keep throwing strikes and I'll move up," said Begnaud. "I'm just going to go day-by-day and try to pitch as well as I can each time out."