A former Manhattanite’s dream came true Tuesday when he heard his name called near the end of the 13th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.
Tegan Cain, a pitcher for the University of Kansas baseball team and former Manhattan native, was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies with with 402nd picked.
Cain said he felt confident that he would be selected, but it was still a load off when it finally happened.
“It was relief for sure” Cain said. “My mind was at peace when it happened. I’m very blessed.”
Cain was born in Manhattan and went to school at Amanda Arnold Elementary from kindergarten through second-grade. He spent third through fifth-grade in Wamego before his family moved to Ellis, a small town just west of Hays.
He graduated from Ellis High School after being named the 2-1A Player of the Year as a senior and went on to play two season at Barton Community College in Great Bend where he was a second team All-KJCCC West starting pitcher in 2023.
Cain chose to continue his baseball career at Kansas after receiving offers from South Florida, Wichita State, Nebraska, Texas State, and Louisiana-Monroe.
That choice was not easy. Cain was born in the hospital that sits across College Avenue from Tointon Family Stadium, the home of K-State baseball. But the hometown team didn’t come calling, and Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence is just a short hour and 22 minutes drive from his parents — Brent and Darci — who moved back to Manhattan in February, just before the start of the season.
“It was tough at first,” Cain said. “It almost felt wrong. It was hard playing at Tointon that first game back in Manhattan.”
The 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander accrued a 5.94 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for KU. At 27 appearances in all, including one start, he was the Jayhawks’ second-most frequently deployed pitcher out of the bullpen. He allowed 37 hits while recording 47 strikeouts.
Cain flew to Philadelphia on Wednesday and will eventually travel down to the Phillies’ spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida. From there, he’ll be evaluated and either stay there to develop, or move to the club’s High or Single-A affiliates in New Jersey or Clearwater.
“I’m just excited,” Cain said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”
