Zack Wheeler left behind a solid high school career Tuesday, taking the first step towards a career in Major League Baseball.

The East Paulding senior was selected sixth overall in the 2009 amateur baseball draft. Wheeler, who had been projected to go high in the first round, was picked up by the San Francisco Giants.

“He has worked very hard, he is humble with it, he is excited about it and I just wish him the best of luck,” head coach Tony Boyd said. “I am probably his biggest fan right now.”

Wheeler had been an ace all season long for the Raiders, going 9-0 with a 0.46 ERA in 76 innings. The senior right-hander had 148 strikeouts to only 18 walks. He also pitched a no-hitter in Game One of the second round against Mill Creek.

Wheeler’s performance helped propel East Paulding to the Final Four of the Class AAAAA state tournament with a 25-12 overall record, 14-4 in its first season in Region 5.

“As far as being a coach, I don’t think there is anything like it,” Boyd said of coaching Wheeler. “I don’t think it is something that I will be able to ever say I can experience again like it. It is just special.”

Boyd said as Wheeler progressed during the season and the playoffs, he felt the future could be very bright for the pitcher.

“You think maybe that kind of thing could happen,” he said, “but you have got to let it play itself out and wait around and see what happens. As far as ability, the things he was able to, what he showed every day and how improved over the course the three years I was working with him, you kind of felt like if he could stay healthy, he was going to be big.”

With the wealth of attention that Wheeler is receiving right now and the expectations that come with a first round pick, Boyd said his advice to his former pupil is to, “stay grounded, work hard and continue to do all the things that he needs to do to improve,” he said.

“Zack has got a real good head on his shoulders.”