Three years ago, the Florida Marlins chose then-18-year-old David Gresky in the 22nd round of the Major League Baseball draft. Not ready for the pros, the stellar outfielder chose the college route and headed to Northwestern instead.

But that was then.

After wrapping up his junior year with a .313 batting average, Gresky heard his name announced June 4 during this year’s draft. This time, it was the Chicago Cubs who wanted him.

And this time, Gresky answered the call.

The Cubs chose the North Royalton, Ohio, native in the 39th round, as the 1,153rd pick overall.

Gresky said he had been talking with the Cubs all season and the baseball club mentioned the possibility of picking him as high as the 15th round.

But when the 15th round came and went, Gresky wasn’t stressed.

“I didn’t think I was going to be drafted,” Gresky said. “The whole thing just had so many question marks.”

The Cubs couldn’t resist making an offer to Gresky, who started all 50 of the Wildcats’ 2003 games at center field. He led NU this season with nine home runs and 43 RBIs.

The left-handed hitter debated whether it would be worth the risk to forgo his last year at NU to play professional baseball. Ultimately he couldn’t refuse the opportunity.

“In the back of my head, I always thought being drafted after this year would be nice,” Gresky said. “But I never banked on it.”

After draft day, Gresky had until July 1 to decide whether or not to sign with the Cubs. The outfielder said he made his decision some time before it was made public on June 26.

The hardest part about leaving Evanston, Gresky said, will be leaving his teammates and abandoning his classics degree, at least for now.

“I will finish school,” the Academic All-Big Ten honoree said. “I mean, who knows how long I’ll be playing here. It could be a summer, a year … who knows?”

Gresky is currently playing for the single-A farm team Boise Hawks in Boise, Idaho. Gresky finished 2-for-4 on July 1 — including one double — in his third appearance with the Hawks.

Gresky’s move to the Cubs makes him the 36th player drafted during NU coach Paul Stevens’ 16 years as head coach of the Cats.

Praising Stevens as “nothing but supportive and considerate of the situation,” Gresky said he appreciates all the advice his coaches, teammates and family have given him.

“Sometimes I feel bad because there’s other guys who play even harder and who might love the game even more who might never get the opportunity,” Gresky said. “I’m lucky.”

Stevens could not be reached for comment.

Pitcher Dan Konecny, said although he will miss Gresky as a friend and teammate, he thinks his former roommate made the right decision.

“You can’t fault him for going for his dream,” said Konecny, who will be a senior in the fall. “He was a good leader on our team and it’s really good for our program that he’s going to the Cubs because we get a lot of pitchers drafted but not a lot of hitters.”

Gresky said his three years with the Cats have given him the confidence to go pro.

“Out of high school, I needed college to become a stronger player,” Gresky said. “I needed to go through hard times and times of not playing well at college, and I’m glad I had that.”

He overcame a .253 batting average for the first half of the season to hit a .370 for the second half, including six homers and eight doubles. His accomplishments led to a second-team All-Big Ten Team honor.

As much as he loves NU, Gresky said he can’t dwell on what will happen to the Cats as they face the 2004 season without him.

“I can’t sit down and worry about school — I have to worry about getting my butt to the next level,” Gresky said. “I will get school done, but I’ve got to try this. I’ve got to.”