Even though Detroit Tigers center fielder Don Kelly graduated from Point Park University, he did not feel as if he had to prove anything to anyone because of his success competing in tournaments against Division 1-A talent. Steve Fabian did not foresee himself playing for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds professional soccer team two years ago, but after his challenging work at Point Park and with the New Orleans Premier Development League (PDL), he is very excited and is enjoying the experience. These two are among the few players from Point Park who have had successful collegiate careers and earned the opportunity to play their sport on a professional level. “My expectations as a player are to play every game like it’s my last,” said Kelly, who is currently playing his second season with the Tigers. “I’ve played about every position in the majors – except pitcher, shortstop and catcher. All I can do is practice hard and play [to] the best of my ability.” Making a professional team is a difficult dream to achieve, and coming from a small university makes it seem virtually impossible to obtain that goal. These players had to compete with athletes from well-known schools and battle in tournaments against more recognizable players. As a freshman at Point Park, Kelly put up impressive numbers, batting .367 (44 of 120), scoring 35 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs and stealing 12 bases in 38 games in 1999.  He earned the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American Honorable Mention and First-Team All-American Mideast Conference (AMC) as a sophomore in 2000, batting an average of .411 (65 of 158), scoring 58 runs, 15 doubles, three triples, 32 RBIs and stealing 23 bases in 46 games.  During the summer, Kelly played in the Coastal Plain League of Virginia and earned all-star honors after achieving a batting average of .313 (57 of 182).  In 2001, during his junior year at Point Park, Kelly continued his consistent play with a batting average of .450 (68 of 151), along with 45 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, two home runs, 45 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 45 games. During Kelly’s illustrious career at Point Park, he has remained the school’s all-time leading hitter with a .413 batting average and fourth in school history with 74 stolen bases.Kelly was drafted in the eighth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He was successful when he played for the Triple A Toledo International League in 2009, achieving a .331 batting average. In that same season, he was selected to the International League Post Season all-star squad. The Tigers purchased Kelly’s career from Toledo on June 12.However, on July 9, Kelly had his contract out righted to Toledo. But after a strong end of the season, Kelly finished ninth in the International League with a .337 batting average, and on Sept. 5, his contact was re-purchased again by the Tigers. Kelly saw action in 12 games with Detroit for the remainder of the season. Kelly said he was excited for the opportunity to make it to the pros, adding that this is something many dream about as children.”Coming to Point Park was the best decision I’ve made because I played every day as a freshman and competed hard,” said Kelly, who is batting .222 with the Tigers this season.One of Kelly’s most memorable moments thus far in the majors happened in 2009 versus the Minnesota Twins when he scored the go-ahead run as a pinch runner in the 10th inning. Then in the 12th inning, Kelly swung and got a key hit when the team needed it.”After I got that hit, you saw 55,000 fans going wild. You couldn’t even hear yourself,” he said.During the off-season, Kelly enjoys spending time with his wife and newborn son, as well as going bowling with his friends and family.Prior to Fabian’s chance to go pro, his collegiate resume was viewed as an impressive one. As a four-year starter and three-time receiver of the All-AMC honorable mention, he led the AMC in saves each of his last two years. Fabian graduated from Point Park ranked second in the NAIA in saves as a senior with 161. After his playing days as a Pioneer were over, Fabian started every game for the New Orleans Jesters of the PDL last summer. The Jesters did not lose a game during the entire regular season due to Fabian’s play and his seven shutouts as a rookie. This was very impressive since Fabian had a rocky start, giving up five goals in three games. During the next 13 games, Fabian allowed only seven goals. Fabian was signed by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, a professional soccer team in the United Soccer League Second Division. As a backup goalkeeper, he remains optimistic and continues to work hard to improve his skills.”I’m only 22 years old, so I know I have to keep learning and work hard in practice,” Fabian, a Delaware native, said. “I must stay consistent and know that as a goalkeeper, you only get better by playing more, so [I’m] gaining experience in order to excel at my position.”He realized that his set of skills could take him to the next level during his playing career at Point Park. He set a goal as a freshman that he would pursue professional soccer after graduation, and with all the hard work, his goals were achieved.Fabian admitted that there was a huge difference between playing for a crowd the size of Point Park compared to his time in New Orleans, so he will be comfortable once the Riverhounds’ season begins. “From playing in New Orleans, we had a couple of thousand in attendance. I think it’s fun and great to have people around you that want to see you do well and succeed,” Fabian said.One player Fabian would like to face would be David Beckham because Fabian said that he is one of the best players currently playing, which would make the experience an exciting challenge.