Roberson junior Garrett Blaylock (24) is the Citizen-Times All-WNC Baseball Player of the Year.
SKYLAND – Garrett Blaylock committed to Vanderbilt 18 months ago, which seems like an eternity.
Since then, Blaylock was developed into exactly what the Commodores knew he could be – an elite high school baseball talent.
The Roberson junior shortstop/pitcher is the Citizen-Times All-WNC Player of the Year. The complete All-WNC baseball team will be in Saturday’s print edition of the Citizen-Times.
“When he committed to Vanderbilt, it felt like it was a big load off for Garrett. A big relief,” Rams coach Eric Filipek said.
“What you don’t realize is it puts so much pressure on you. People look at you and expect you to come through in every situation and baseball is not organized that way. Garrett has matured so much, especially in the past year, and I expect that to continue. One thing he has learned and continues to learn is that sometimes it’s OK to not come through. That’s baseball.”
Blaylock was a reliable superstar, and then some, this spring for the Mountain Athletic Conference 4-A champions.
He hit .471 with 31 RBIs, nine doubles, four triples and four home runs. Blaylock scored 31 runs for Roberson (24-4), which was undefeated against Western North Carolina competition.
Blaylock was often the starting pitcher in the Rams’ biggest games. He was 7-1 with a 1.45 earned run average and 50 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
Coaches in the 3-A/4-A league voted to make Blaylock the MAC Player of the Year for the first time.
He is playing this summer for the Asheville American Legion Post 70 team as well as the Impact Baseball Dirtbags organization.
Blaylock took part in two big-time national showcases this week. He was in Chapel Hill for the East Coast Pro before heading to Florida for a Perfect Game exhibition.
Blaylock is one of 108 high school players in the country who have been invited to the USA Baseball Tournament of the Stars event.
It runs from June 21 to June 26 at the national team’s training complex in Cary. Tournament of the Stars invitees are eligible to represent the United States at September’s Confederaciòn Panamericana de Béisbol Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.
“I’ve been fortunate to coach an elite player every year I’ve been here at Roberson with (2014 Atlanta Braves draft pick Braxton Davidson) and now Garrett,” Filipek said.
“Those kind of kids challenge you as a coach. You have to be at your best every day to challenge them. It’s an unbelievable experience.”
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