With two runners on base and heavy rain falling during the bottom of the third inning in the first game played in Sterling Xpress history, second baseman Tyler Blood sliced a single through the rain drops and into right-center field at Plainsmen Park off of Cheyenne pitcher Kyle Montell.
Blood’s hit on Friday, May 30 went relatively unnoticed, at the time. It loaded the bases for the Xpress during an inning in which they did not score, and happened on a night where the game ended up being suspended due to inclement weather and forced to resume the following day.
But what that sharply hit single did do, the first in Xpress history, was forever make Tyler Blood, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, and soon to be senior at Bellevue University, a Logan County trivia answer.
“That was cool (getting the first hit) because I really wanted to do that,” Blood said. “I even told Brad (Lindsley) that, because Coach Betourne asked me where I hit at Bellevue and I told him the No. 9 hole, that I hoped he’d let me hit first or second because I really wanted the first hit.”
After Blood’s at-bat came and went, though, he said he didn’t even realize he had accomplished the feat.
“I didn’t even know I got it until the next day at practice because there had been a bunch of walks and people on base ahead of me. I had no clue that I had got it,” Blood said.
Blood’s historic hit has been just one of many for the Xpress second baseman so far this season. Following Saturday night’s series finale against the Northern Colorado Toros, Blood had played in six of Sterling’s seven games and hit safely in all of them — five of which he recorded multiple hits — while boasting a little league batting average of .560 (14-for-25) during the home stand.
“Batting in the No. 9 hole, pitchers aren’t going to give you as much respect as the No. 3 hitter, so I’m going to see a lot more fastballs and I’ve stuck to that approach,” Blood said. “With the teams we’ve been playing, their pitchers have been living on the outside of the plate, so I’ve been focusing on staying to the right-side of the field.”
While his offensive numbers have been staggering, his work at the plate is just a small part of what Blood brings to team.
“He’s a ballplayer,” stated Sterling manager Alan Betourne, referring to Blood’s tough and passionate style of play. “He’s got the talent, but when you are looking at a good player, he has to be a ballplayer at the same time. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t know what to do with, it won’t get you anywhere.”
Blood is a fiery, competitive player and one who is not afraid to voice his opinion to an umpire. He is a grinder who doesn’t take a play or an at-bat off.
Blood also admits that, much like his desire to record the first hit in Xpress history, he is a player who seeks out the big, game-changing moments. He feeds off those opportunities whether they are with the bat or his glove.
So far this year, Blood, who was recruited to play short stop at Bellevue and has the arm to prove it, has already turned in a handful of would-be “Web Gems” by robbing hits up the middle.
But as much as he likes the “crazy plays,” it is his ability to make the routine play that he wants to solidify this summer as a member of the Xpress before returning back to school.
“I’m trying to focus on, defensively, minimizing all mistakes. All routine plays must be made by me this summer,” Blood said. “I’m a big fan of the crazy play, so I’ll be diving all over the place, too. But my focus is to make the routine plays —every one of them.”
As for Blood’s future after this summer stint in Sterling, and his final season at Bellevue University, the self-appointed “old guy” of the Xpress who plays with reckless abandonment said he’d be open to playing baseball if the right opportunity presented itself. But if not, a life as an educator would be just fine with him.
“I haven’t been talked to (by scouts) yet. Baseball after college, if I get drafted, heck yes I’ll play. But I’m not going to chase independent league contracts or anything like that,” Blood said. “I’d go home, get my teaching degree, and start my life. My body won’t be able to hold up to the professional baseball life, but if there was an opportunity and money on the table, I’m going to take it.”
Contact David Wilson at 970-526-9285 or dwilson@journal-advocate.com
