Former CSU-Pueblo catcher Tony Pechek became the newest member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization Thursday when the club signed him to a minor league contract.

Pechek will report to the Brewers’ Rookie League team in the Arizona League on Sunday.

Pechek’s journey to a Major League organization was a bumpy one, as he played at four different colleges during his collegiate career, finally finding a home at CSU-Pueblo. An all-Central Region selection as a catcher in 2008 at CSU-Pueblo, hit .390 for the Pack with eight home runs, second-highest mark on the squad, with 76 RBI in 231 at bats. Pechek helped lead the ThunderWolves to the 2008 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championship as well as the program’s first berth in an NCAA Division II regional tournament since 2006.

Prior to his time at CSU-Pueblo, he had played with two Division I programs, Wichita State and Creighton, and at Central Arizona College. A graduate from Pueblo South High School, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 41st round of the 2005 draft out of high school. He instead opted for Wichita State, a highly-regarded NCAA Division I baseball program before his path brought him to CSU-Pueblo. Pechek said he feels much more prepared for the pros this time around.

“Without a doubt, I feel more mature and ready this time around,” Pechek said. “It feels more gratifying [than getting drafted in 2005] because I’ve gone through all the adversity to get to this point.”

Pechek becomes a second-generation pro ball player in his family, joining his father, Wayne, who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1976 and played in the Giants’ farm system for four seasons, reaching as high as the Phoenix Giants, the club’s AAA affiliate, in 1980. He also played in the California Angels’ organization.