Kansas City, Mo ? Anthony Molina batted .300 or better each season for Evansville before he was beaned while standing on-deck during a game at Wichita State three years ago.

The second baseman’s eyesight had been flawless and he had visions of a pro baseball career even if it was a longshot.

That all ended on April 23, 1999. Molina, standing 24 feet from home plate, was hit in the left eye by a fastball that he believes was deliberately thrown at him by Wichita State pitcher Ben Christensen.

“My plastic surgeon said what happened to me was like getting hit with a sledgehammer,” Molina said.

On Tuesday, after several attempts at an out-of-court settlement, the case goes to court in Wichita, where Molina is suing Christensen for battery.

He also has a case pending in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., against Christensen, Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson and pitching coach Brent Kemnitz. In that case, which is bogged down in appeals, Molina is suing Christensen for battery and the coaches for negligence.

In all, Molina is suing Christensen for $2 million in damages.

Kemnitz was suspended by the Missouri Valley Conference after admitting he advised pitchers to throw at on-deck batters if they looked like they were timing pitches. Ted Ayres, general counsel for Wichita State, said last week that neither Stephenson nor Kemnitz should be liable because they work for the state and receive specific legal immunities.

“If I’m driving, and I close my right eye, I can’t see the car in front of me,” Molina said by phone from his home in Evansville, Ind. “The other day, somebody tossed me their keys. I missed them. It made me wonder how I ever caught a baseball after the injury.”

It happened while Molina was warming up as Evansville’s leadoff hitter against Wichita State. He was standing near the on-deck circle, on the opposite side of home plate from his team’s dugout. The pitch caused skull fractures and numerous eye injuries.

Christensen, who wasn’t available for comment, has said that it was a warning pitch that got away. He was ejected from the game, then suspended for the rest of the season.

“Ben didn’t intend to hit (Molina). He had no motivation to do so, and we hope it’s proven in trial,” his attorney, Steve Robison, said.

More than a month after the incident, Christensen sent Molina a written apology.

“It didn’t sound sincere. It looked pretty structured,” Molina said.

The two of them haven’t spoken since.

“I was 100 percent positive I would have gotten drafted if this didn’t happen,” Molina said.

Rand Wonio, Molina’s Iowa-based lawyer, said: “Even if he had washed out in the minors, he would have gotten his shot.”

Instead, Molina has played and tried out for independent teams, like the one in Schaumburg, Ill., not far from his hometown, Moline, Ill. He has noticed his play has been drastically affected by his reduced vision.

Meanwhile, Christensen, who was 21-1 during a three-year Wichita State career, was the Chicago Cubs first-round pick in the June 1999 draft. In a career that has yet to advance beyond the AA level, Christensen is 8-9 with a 3.44 ERA.