In
the world of baseball, Tyler McBride is a rarity. The two-way player
likely will be counted on as the Columbia Blowfish’s staff ace and play
center field.
But those responsibilities don’t bother McBride.
He’s been there before. The former Ridge View standout will be taking
the field for the third summer in a row with the Blowfish and his
fourth year as a player in the Coastal Plain League making him the only
player in league history to accomplish the feat.
“My first year I
played in Florence, and I mean loved it there. But it’s always good to
come back home and be able to live at home, see my parents, let them
come see me play pretty much everyday,” McBride said.
A redshirt
junior from Winthrop, McBride has seen his role shift each season. With
Florence in 2006, McBride made 20 appearances in the field with seven
trips to the mound. Last season with the Blowfish, he started 46 games
as a fielder and 10 as a pitcher. His 58ð innings pitched were the most
by a Columbia pitcher en route to a 5-2 record and 2.30 ERA. McBride
also finished with a .235 batting average and 11 RBIs last summer.
That
consistency made coach Tim Medlin’s decision to bring him back a
no-brainer. It also made McBride the easy pick to start tonight’s
season opener against Florence.
“The great thing about him is
he’s a good player, but he’s a terrific young man. I mean he is the
kind of guy you want around. The guy’s going to pitch his butt off,”
Medlin said. “No way I turn that guy down. I’ll take him anywhere,
anytime and just feel really good about it.”
McBride joins three
other players on the Blowfish roster that will be counted to play dual
roles this season. Right-handers Richard Mounce, Gabe Grammer and John
Long will each spend time on the mound and in the field.
McBride said the split duties come natural.
“That’s
the only way I know how to do, I mean doing a little bit of
everything,” McBride said. “Being able to pitch and hit is always a
good thing, as long as you can help your team some way. I feel like I
can try to help my in two ways so it’s good.”
| PLAYER | POS. | B/T | HT./WT. | SCHOOL/HOMETOWN |
| Branfry Arias | OF | R/R | 5-10/186 | Tusculum/La Romana, Dominican Republic |
| Stew Brase | RHP | R/R | 6-3/180 | Charleston Southern/LaGrange Park, Ill. |
| Catlin Carter | Util | R/R | 5-9/160 | UNC Asheville/Greensboro, N.C. |
| Nick Chinners | INF | S/R | 6-2/215 | Charleston Southern/St. George |
| Tyler Christman | RHP | R/R | 6-2/180 | USC Sumter/Sumter |
| Jason Coker | INF | R/R | 6-0/190 | UNC Pembroke/Charlotte |
| Shawn Glover | C | S/R | 6-0/190 | Erskine/Columbia |
| Gabe Grammer | INF | R/R | 6-1/175 | Presbyterian/Columbia |
| Justin Hopper | RHP | R/R | 5-11/180 | USC/Lexington |
| Matt Leeds | INF | S/R | 6-0/185 | College of Charleston/Boca Raton, Fla. |
| John Long | INF | R/R | 5-11/190 | Liberty/Anderson |
| Drew Mahaffey | LHP | L/L | 6-1/185 | The Citadel/Summerville |
| Adam Matthews | OF | R/R | 6-1/190 | USC/Lexington |
| Tyler McBride | LHP | L/L | 5-8/165 | Winthrop/Columbia |
| Brandon McCreery | RHP | R/R | 6-0/220 | Armstrong Atlantic State/Rincon, Ga. |
| Jeremiah Meiners | LHP | L/L | 5-11/180 | Francis Marion/Silver Spring, Md. |
| James Rawls | RHP | L/R | 6-4/200 | USC/Leesville |
| Jim Rider | INF | R/R | 5-8/170 | Kent State/Venetia, Pa. |
| Oliver Santos | INF | R/R | 6-0/182 | Tusculum/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Derek Smith | INF | R/R | 6-3/240 | Charleston Southern/Moncks Corner |
| Erik Sommerville | RHP | R/R | 6-1/195 | Francis Marion/Charlotte |
| Trent Still | C | S/R | 6-0/185 | Anderson/Williston |
| Patrick Sullivan | RHP | R/R | 6-2/185 | USC/Columbia |
| Sean Sullivan | OF | R/R | 6-3/193 | Winthrop/Columbia |
| Cameron White | OF | R/R | 6-0/180 | Catawba/Columbia |
| Robbie Wilcox | RHP | OF | 5-11/175 | Brown/Columbia |
| Matt Williams | INF | R/R | 6-0/160 | Liberty/Franklin, Tenn. |
MANAGER: Tim Medlin
ASSISTANT COACH: Mike Pulaski
