GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Tyler Day is no stranger to the NJCAA World Series.

After all, he's been attending the event for more than 18 years.

"Since preschool," he said.

But when Day returned to Grand Junction on Wednesday with the Blinn baseball team, he wasn't returning to his hometown as a spectator.

It's all business for the Blinn sophomore.

Day is a part of a Buccaneer squad that qualified for its first NJCAA World Series in 22 years.

"It's always been a goal," Day said. "As a kid you always looked up to the players here, but I never imagined I'd be here on the other side of the ropes."

Day vividly remembers growing up in the town of nearly 60,000 people, with a baseball field that overlooks the Grand Mesa, while attending numerous World Series with his family. Through the years he'd be one of the many young boys asking for autographs and collecting any memorabilia that teams were willing to part with—he still has hats and stickers at his current home in San Antonio.

Now he's the one signing the autographs.

Perhaps—for now—the most memorable moment for the Stephen F. Austin State University signee is the Bucs' 7-4 win over Cochise (Ariz.) College in their World Series opener Sunday.

"That was pretty special," he said.

Having a chance to compete at the World Series was an opportunity Day thought he would never have. The Colorado junior college teams were never quite good enough to regularly make it into the 10-team field, and Day never planned on moving out of state.

That is until his family was relocated to Texas his junior year of high school.

"I guess God had a plan for me to be on a team that would make it here," he said.

He signed with Blinn out of high school, and though the Bucs didn't make it his first year, the team got hot in this year's Region XIV Conference tournament and qualified for its first World Series since 1992.

After the Bucs defeated Alvin 12-4 in the conference tournament to clinch their berth, there was only one thought going through Day's mind as he raced for the dogpile.

"I'm going back home."