Oregon St. star pleaded guilty to sex charge in ’12

PORTLAND, Ore. — Luke Heimlich, a standout pitcher for Oregon State’s top-ranked baseball team, pleaded guilty to a single count of molesting a 6-year-old girl when he was a teenager.

Heimlich’s criminal history was reported by the Oregonian on Thursday. Oregon State hosts a super regional against Vanderbilt this weekend, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.

The left-hander from Puyallup, Wash., has been projected to be an early-round pick in next week’s Major League Baseball draft.

In an editorial accompanying the article, the newspaper said it learned about Heimlich’s 2012 conviction while doing a routine background check before running a lengthy profile on him.

Heimlich failed to renew his registration as a sex offender in Oregon within 10 days of his most recent birthday and was cited in Benton County on a misdemeanor charge that was dismissed last month, according to court records.

That citation led the Oregonian to the Washington state case and it obtained those records using a public information act request.

Heimlich did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper. Coach Pat Casey declined to comment. Heimlich’s attorney, Stephen Ensor, did not return a call from the Associated Press.

Oregon State spokesman Steve Clark declined to say when Oregon State became aware of Heimlich’s status as a registered sex offender or answer any questions about the case, citing federal laws that protect student privacy.

The state police provide the school with a list of registered sex offenders who are affiliated with the campus on a regular basis, Clark said, and the school then interviews each person and puts safeguards in place to protect other students and staff.