As a child growing up in Carneys Point, New Jersey, Maryland baseball right-hander Mike Shawaryn dreamed of playing Major League Baseball, whether it was while playing little league baseball or watching his favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

On Friday, at the same home Shawaryn dreamed of playing in the big leagues, he received a call from the Boston Red Sox informing him the team drafted him in the fifth round of the MLB Draft.

After serving as one of the Terps’ top pitchers the past three years, Shawaryn has an opportunity to play at the level he’s dreamed of since he was a kid.

“It’s a dream come true,” Shawaryn said. “It was pretty special to share the moment with my parents and sister, who probably supported me the most my baseball career. It’s always an exciting time to hear your name called.”

Shawaryn used to toss a Wiffle ball in his backyard every day after elementary school, using a lawn chair to frame his strike zone. But he didn’t know he wanted to be a pitcher yet. He played third base up until high school, so he didn’t look up to a particular professional player.

“I appreciated the guys who played the game hard, and I tried to model my game after those guys,” Shawaryn said. “I soaked it all in, whether I was playing it or watching the game.”

Shawaryn’s dream of being drafted came alive when the Kansas City Royals selected him in the 32nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Gloucester Catholic High School. He had decided to attend Maryland before then, though, and hoped he could better his draft stock if he showed improvement with the Terps. As a freshman, Shawaryn became part of the team’s rotation, leading the team with 11 wins. One year after watching the Super Regionals on TV as a high school senior, he was pitching for the Terps at the same level as Maryland defeated South Carolina on the Gamecocks’ home field twice in the 2014 Columbia Regional.

“The reality of that is no different than one day you’re playing little league,” Shawaryn said. “Then you get an opportunity to be a professional baseball player.

Shawaryn emerged as a top draft prospect his sophomore year. The ace held a 1.71 ERA, set program single-season records in strikeouts (138) and wins (13) and helped Maryland reach a second straight Super Regional.

Multiple experts projected Shawaryn as a first-round pick entering this season, but the 6-foot-3, 211-pound hurler’s draft stock fell as his ERA increased to 3.18. Some scouts feared his arm slot dropped.

Still, Shawaryn holds the Terps’ all-time record for strikeouts, wins and innings pitched, and coach John Szefc said Shawaryn will go down as one of the best pitchers in program history.

“Mike will be able to pitch at any type of level,” Szefc said. “Our program has followed Mike for a better part of three years. He can make adjustments that a lot of other guys can’t make.”

Shawaryn said some of his favorite memories playing at Maryland were the big games he pitched in, such as at South Carolina in 2014 and against California State University, Fullerton, in 2015.

Now, he has a chance to continue playing in exciting environments as a professional, an opportunity Shawaryn has envisioned since he was a child.

“I wouldn’t bet too much against Mike Shawaryn having success,” Szefc said. “He’s a pretty successful guy.”