PSC Baseball: Reiher Makes History, Becomes First PSC Baseball Player to be Selected in MLB Draft

Every collegiate baseball player dreams of the day when his phone will ring and on the other side will be the scouting director of a major league team.

That day came for Prairie State College freshman catcher Kevin Reiher (Eisenhower H.S.) Saturday afternoon as a lifetime’s worth of hard work came to fruition in an instant.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Reiher was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 24th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Reiher was the 733rd pick of the draft and is the first PSC player ever to be selected.

A rifle-armed backstop who helped lead the Pioneers to a second consecutive NJCAA Region IV Sectional title this season, Reiher threw out 23 of 26 would-be base stealers in 2014. He also made just four errors in 178 total chances (.978 fielding percentage).

Reiher wasn’t just a defensive force either.

Hitting in the cleanup spot for the bulk of the 2014 campaign, Reiher batted .351 with four home runs and 28 RBIs.

Reiher’s most significant offensive day of the slate came in the Pioneers’ 12-6 sectional-clinching triumph over Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference counterpart Elgin on May 11.  Reiher went 2-for-5 that day with 5 RBIs, including a go-ahead three-run, second-inning homer to dead center field.

For the season, Reiher posted 11 multiple-hit contests.

He also registered a multiple home run tilt against league foe McHenry (April 12), when he lifted a pair of long solo home runs in a 4-for-4, three run performance.

If he chooses to sign a contract with Atlanta, Reiher would most likely begin his professional career at the “rookie ball” level with the Danville (Va.) Braves of the Appalachian League.

Reiher was an All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference selection in 2014.