VESTAL ‘ Former Binghamton University left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond has signed with the Atlanta Braves and will not play his senior season with the Bearcats.

‘There’s a little bit of disappointment that I can’t finish up with my senior year and finish up strong,’ Diamond said. ‘But there’s always that excitement to move on the next level and keep playing. I’m pretty pumped and I’ve been working out pretty hard.’

Diamond, from Guelph, Ontario, went 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 12 starts for the Bearcats last season. His four complete games were a team high.

The Braves took notice of Diamond, who went undrafted in June’s Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft, over the summer as a member of the Martinsville, Va., Mustangs in the wooden-bat Coastal Plain League. The host family Diamond was staying with was in touch with Braves personnel and helped to get him noticed.

‘This is a great opportunity for Scott,’ BU head coach Tim Sinicki said in a press release. ‘The Atlanta Braves organization really stepped up to the plate with their offer and commitment to him, and I know Scott will make the most of this opportunity. I am very happy for and proud of Scott. He is an extremely talented young man who has worked hard for the chance to play professionally. I wish him nothing but the best and thank him for his contributions to the Binghamton University baseball program.’

Diamond battled tendonitis during the Bearcats’ season but said that is now behind him. He said he would spend the next two weeks in Binghamton training for the Braves instructional league, which starts in mid-September in Orlando, Fla. and lasts for about a month.

‘I feel as good as I always did back when I wasn’t hurt,’ Diamond said. ‘I feel real strong after lifting and throwing, and I feel like the arm has been in real good shape this past summer. I feel like I really threw well, going deep into game and deep into counts, so it’s nothing worry to about.’

Diamond is the fifth Bearcat to sign a professional contract this summer, joining Matt Simek (Worcester Tornadoes), Mike Van Gorder (New Jersey Jackals), Brendon Hitchcock (Amarillo Dillas) and Justin Smucker (Brockton Rox).