KYLIN BLUE-MHS

Playing baseball his senior year wasn’t a given for Muskogee High outfielder Kylin Blue.

“Last year I hurt my knee when I collided with another player in the outfield. Initially I was given the go ahead to play on it, but then I hyperextended it and that’s when the extent of the injury was discovered. I had surgery which required a nine-month rehab, and I wasn’t cleared to play this season until the day the season started,” said Blue.

Kylin has made the most of the opportunity as he leads the Roughers in hitting with a .340 average while hitting second in the lineup.

“I’ve known Kylin since he was in our junior high program,” said baseball coach John Singler. “He primarily plays outfield, but he also plays a little second base and pitches. He’s a great kid, a great player and we’re happy to have him.”

Blue credits some of his success this year to an improved mindset.

“I’ve had to work on getting the right attitude for myself and not let an error or a strikeout get in my head so much. I prefer playing in the outfield to the other positions because you’re involved in a lot more plays out there and I like tracking down the long fly balls.”

Outside of baseball, Kylin is very active in FFA.

“I started showing lambs in the fourth grade and then moved to showing pigs in the sixth grade and now I’m showing five pigs. I also go to a lot of leadership conferences and competitions with FFA as well,” said Blue.

As a senior, Kylin has taken on some responsibilities as a team leader this year.

“He’s mostly a leader by example,” said Singler, “but he can provide some comedic relief for us on occasion.”

“I think a big part of being a good leader is having a good attitude,” said Kylin. “If you don’t have a good attitude to go with good effort, you can’t complete anything.”

Kylin says he would like the opportunity to play college baseball somewhere next year but if that doesn’t happen, he says he’ll become a plumber and raise show pigs on the side.