Three former Blinn College baseball players overcame obstacles in their playing careers to hear their names called during the 2017 Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Pitcher Tyler Day played at Blinn in 2013 and 2014 and was selected with the 559th pick in the 19th round by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Colorado Mesa University. Kaylor Chafin pitched for Blinn in 2015 and was selected with the 967th pick in the 32nd round by the New York Mets out of Texas A&M University. Catcher Robie Rojas also played at Blinn in 2015 and was selected with the 1,134th pick in the 38th round by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Sam Houston State University.
Day made 15 appearances on the mound in his freshman season in 2013 and went 1-1 with a 2.70 earned run average in 36 2-3 innings. Day struggled with injuries in 2014 and made just five appearances on the mound. Following Blinn, Day transferred to Stephen F. Austin University and then transferred again and found his way at Colorado Mesa.
"Tyler is a great story of sticking with it and battling through injuries," said Harvey McIntyre, Blinn baseball coach. "He is just a player that you hoped would make it."
Chafin signed with Texas A&M out of high school but pitched for Blinn for one season in 2015 and was the ace of the staff going 7-4 in 11 starts and led the team with 68 strikeouts and maintained a 3.19 ERA.
"Kaylor came over in the spring of 2015 and was the rock of our staff," McIntyre said. "Coming to Blinn was a tremendous help for him."
Rojas battled a hand injury in 2015 to be a solid catcher behind the plate and hit .257 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.
"Robie is just a scrapper behind the plate," McIntyre said. "His ball from glove transfer is probably one of the best in the country."
Over the past 15 seasons, McIntyre has coached 39 players who have been drafted into professional baseball.
"It is great to see the progress of these young men and we are proud they could help our program along the way," McIntyre said.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 36 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
