MCC’s Reyburn to play baseball at Illinois State

McCook Community College sophomore Tyler Reyburn signed a letter of intent Friday to continue his baseball career next year at Illinois State, a D1 program in Normal, Ill.

The 6-0 left-handed-hitting catcher from Frederick, Colo., said after a campus visit, all the key elements felt right to sign with the Redbirds, from the staff (including Coach Steve Holmm, entering his eighth season) to the campus and community, to the fit with his academic path in finance. Reyburn is looking forward to playing in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“Tyler came here to McCook with the goal of signing with a Division 1 school and he worked hard to make that happen,” said MCC Baseball Coach Jon Olsen. “And we’ll have some other guys who will be able to reach that goal too.”

Offensively Reyburn hit .301 with 15 doubles, three home runs and 30 RBIs in 53 games. He had an on-base average of .354 and slugged .449.

“He’s an excellent defensive catcher,” said MCC Baseball Coach Jon Olsen. “That’s probably what gets him noticed every time he plays. Anytime anyone talks to me about Tyler, the first thing they mention is how good of a defender he is. He’s a catch-and-throw guy who can really control the running game, but he also hit .300 last year with 20 extra-base hits, so a defensive-catcher who can hit made him a high-demand player.”

His season highlights included a four-for-four game March 22 against Luna with three doubles. He also had a five-RBI game April 18 at home in a 15-6 win over Trinidad State.

“We’re super happy for him earning a chance to play at a four-year school – that’s always the end goal and those are wins for un in the win column for our program,” said Olsen.