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The Saturday starters of college baseball, bookended by the Friday aces and the Sunday closers, can sometimes be underappreciated.

But as Dalton Carroll soldiered through four years with 52 starts, he almost always gave the Utes a chance to win, coach Bill Kinneberg said. Now, he'll get an opportunity of his own: to play professional baseball in the Atlanta Braves system.

"This has always been my dream," Carroll said. "Now that's it's actually here and a possibility. I'm gonna keep going until my time comes. I know there's only so long you can do this."

Carroll was the only draft pick this year from the Utes,http://bit.ly/1VSQ7lK";> going in the 21st round to the Atlanta Braves. The senior righthander said he's still awaiting details from the Braves before officially signing, but he said his decision is all but determined.

While sophomore Jayson Rose was the star of the staff, and sophomore lefthander Josh Lapiana brought a different look on Sundays, Carroll was a steady performer. He was 5-7 with a 5.04 ERA and 49 strikeouts.

Throwing in the low 90s, Carroll's style is more straightforward than some of Utah's other starters. But it got results, even in years when Utah's lineup had trouble producing runs to support him: His career ERA was 4.77 with 184 strikeouts.

"He's been tremendous for us," Kinneberg said. "If you look at Dalton's lines, he probably never left many games where we weren't close behind, tied or ahead. He gave us a lot of quality starts."

Carroll said he's not yet sure where he'll report to start his minor league career. He expects he'll have to develop a strong off-speed pitch to get further along in the system.

A former prep star at Taylorsville, http://www.sltrib.com/home/3904850-155/kragthorpe-twins-from-taylorsville-lift-ute";>Carroll is also known for being the pitching counterpart to his twin brother, Dallas, who plays third base for the Utes. Advisors told Dalton Carroll last year he could've been drafted, but he decided to forego pro options and http://bit.ly/1snK9hg";>rejoin Utah for another chance to play with Dallas.

http://bit.ly/1PBJYcC";>One Pac-12 championship later, he's happy with the decision. So are the Utes.

"Well I'll be very happy for him that he gets to move on and continue playing," Kinneberg said. "He said he wanted to come back to help the team win, and he did. Dalton stuck to his word. I think he's still going to get a chance to play pro baseball."

While the Carroll family celebrated Dalton's selection, Dallas went undrafted and will be returning to Utah for his senior season.

"It was tough when we didn't hear his name," Dalton said. "He's excited to go back to school and play one more year with the Utes. Hopefully next year he'll hear his name."

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon