Heimlich, sex offender and Oregon State ace, won't attend CWS

Passed over in the MLB draft earlier this week, Luke Heimlich, the Oregon State ace convicted in 2012 of molesting a 6-year-old family member, said in a statement Thursday he won't accompany his team to the College World Series, either.

Oregon State will head to Omaha as the tournament's top seed, having clinched its spot Saturday with a victory over Vanderbilt, but Heimlich - who asked to be excused from the team last week after being identified by The Oregonian as a registered sex offender - said he won't accompany the Beavers so as not to "create further distraction for (his) teammates."

"This situation has caused great pain to my family members over the years and I am devastated that they have to relive it all again so publicly," Heimlich said in a statement released by a family friend, per ESPN.

"Today the Oregon State University baseball team is heading to Omaha for the College World Series - something my teammates, my coaches, and I have worked for all year and dreamed about for a lifetime. I'm sad to say I am not joining them because doing so would only create further distraction for my teammates, more turmoil for my family, and given the high profile of the national championship, direct even more unwanted attention to an innocent young girl."

According to the report in The Oregonion, Heimlich, who fashioned a 0.76 ERA in 16 starts for the Beavers this season, pleaded guilty at 15 to a single charge of sexually molesting a female child.

In a statement, Ed Ray, the president of Oregon State, said he agrees with Heimlich's decision not to play in the College World Series.

"I concur with this decision as to do otherwise would certainly serve as a disruption and distraction to the team due to the significant public scrutiny that this matter has attracted," Ray's statement said. "As well, I am mindful of the need for providing safety for all concerned that otherwise might be at risk during times of heightened emotions."

Oregon State will open their tournament Saturday against Cal State Fullerton.