Coming out of Clarksville High School, Garrett Spain had just one Division I offer.
On July 15, the former APSU centerfielder will be on a flight to Dunedin, Fla. to officially become a part of the Toronto Blue Jays. Spain heard his name called in the 15th round of this year’s MLB Draft.
“It’s been a one-of-a-kind process, something that was very interesting, stressful, exciting. It was a full-on roller coaster of emotions,” he said.
“(When) I finally got the news and I saw my name pop up, I didn’t really know what to do. My whole body went kind of numb. I was just happy and excited and just grateful for this opportunity. I’m grateful that the Blue Jays are taking a chance on me. I really just can’t wait to get going with them.”
A redshirt sophomore with the Governors, Spain has displayed offensive prowess at every step of his collegiate career. He was the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2019 and landed on the All-OVC First Team this spring. He’s hit a career average of .318 while with the Govs.
“He is what’s right about college athletics,” head coach Travis Janssen told The All State last February. “Anytime you have one of the better players in the league, that’s a great thing to build around.”
Before committing to APSU in 2018, Spain was an All-State outfielder for Brian Hetland at Clarksville High School. CHS won 107 games across Spain’s four seasons, and he hit .513 with 43 RBI as a senior with the Wildcats.
Despite the success, Janssen and the Govs were the only Division I team to offer him a scholarship. Spain took that as motivation to silence the schools that doubted him.
Being selected 452nd in the draft, he’ll hold that same confidence when beginning his professional career.
“It was kind of like a chip on my shoulder, but I’m also grateful for (the) coaching staff and everybody at Austin Peay. Just like the Blue Jays taking a shot on me, Austin Peay took a shot on me.
“I know for a fact, wherever I got picked…there’s not that many guys better than me in this draft. I’m just going to have to prove them wrong like I’ve had to the past three years with college baseball.”
