Maverick Alumnus Bligh Madris Makes Most of First Professional Call-Up
It isn’t every day that a former student athlete makes their professional debut but that is exactly what happened for Colorado Mesa University on June 20.
On that day, Colorado Mesa baseball alum Bligh Madris had his contract selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates and became the first Maverick since Sergio Romo (2008) to make his Major League Baseball debut. He joined Randy Ready, Darrel Akerfelds, Brendan Donnelly, and Romo as Mavericks that have reached the pinnacle of professional baseball.
He made his first Major League Baseball game a memorable one. The Las Vegas native went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. He became the first Pittsburgh Pirate since 1996 (Jason Kendall) to record three hits in his debut and became the first-ever Pirate with two RBIs and a stolen base in his debut.
“Playing at Mesa really set a solid hitting foundation for me and the passion and fire I play with every day,” Madris said about how his time with the Mavericks prepped him for Major League Baseball. “Mesa has the culture of playing hard and I still carry that with me. It’s a core value of mine and I believe it has helped me get to the Big Leagues.”
Current Maverick Head Coach Chris Hanks and Associate Head Coach Sean McKinney made the trek to Pittsburgh and was there for Madris’ second game as a Pirate. The two were able to witness the 2017 All-American hit his first career home run which came against the Chicago Cubs.
“It was exciting just to have them there in general but to hit my first homer in front of them and seeing them throw up the Mav sign in the stands was a special moment,” Madris said. “I dreamed about making those calls to them when I got the call. I owe a lot to those two and the rest of the staff at CMU. I wish all of them could have been there and I love every single one of them.”
Currently, Bligh is batting .360 (9-for-25) with four runs scored, four doubles, a home run and six runs batted in during his six games with the club.
“The people at Colorado Mesa are truly amazing. From everyone I played with, went to school with, and all the professors I had…I owe them a huge thank you for helping me get to where I am today,” Madris added. “It is truly a family at Colorado Mesa and I wouldn’t trade those days for anything!"