VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — After three years of baseball at Virginia Tech, Carson DeMartini is ready to take his game to next level.

The Virginia Beach native, who hit 46 home runs and had 164 RBI in his time in Blacksburg, is projected as a top-100 pick in the Major League Baseball draft, which gets underway Sunday.

During his time with the Hokies, he was named ACC Player of the Week and also took home National Player of the Week honors.

“Playing in the ACC is as good as it gets,” DeMartini said. “A lot of people compare it to High-A or Double-A and it’s a good estimate what you’re gonna do in pro ball.”

DeMartini went to Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, where he helped lead the Dolphins to the 6A Region title.

He still works out with his old coach, Pete Zell, who knows first-hand what DeMartini brings to the diamond.

“He is unbelievably powerful, he’s 6-foot-5, 195 pounds and that’s a big strong infield guy,” Zell said. “There are other stronger and bigger and faster guys, but the strength to his game is work, he works at everything.

“I feel like I make a lot of people better around me,” DeMartini said. “I’m a guy that’s gonna put his head down and work. That’s how I’ve always been and that’s how I was raised.”

DeMartini’s father, Tommy, a former college baseball player, knew something was special about his son early on.

“He started swinging a bat when he could walk,” Tommy DeMartini said. “He picked it up left-handed. Carson does everything right-handed, he throws right-handed, he plays golf right-handed, but he swings the bat left-handed.”

Tommy DeMartini and his son have been on a baseball odyssey for most of Carson DeMartini’s life. They traveled to baseball events up and down East Coast while Carson DeMartini continued to refine his game.

Carson DeMartini considered entering the draft out of high school, but opted for a stint with the Hokies, and he’s put himself in a position to fulfill a father and son dream.

“You want to see your kid succeed, you want to see him live out a life-long dream and succeed at the highest level in the world,” Tommy DeMartini said, “and that’s what he’s earned. It’s hard to describe.

Draft projections can be tricky. The first two rounds of the draft are Sunday, and the draft itself lasts three days.

Carson DeMartini is hoping to be picked Sunday, but even if it’s later, he’s still going to have the chance to chase his big-league hopes, and he knows that the journey is just beginning.

“Back to the bottom, you’re a rookie again,” Carson DeMartini said. “You’ve gotta go prove it again, and that’s the most fun, exciting part. You get that plane ticket, that’s the draft. From there on out, it’s all up to you.”