Yesterday was a big day for the Raider baseball program and a day that all SMS athletes could and should take pride in. For the first time in the school’s history there is a Shawnee Mission South alumni suiting up in an MLB uniform. Last night, 2009 graduate Mike Morin was called up for action in the Los Angeles Angels organization as the team took on the New York Yankees. Although he didn’t make an appearance in the game, it is still a monumental step for Morin’s career and his debut is highly anticipated by everyone who’s ever been involved with sports at SMS.

This year’s ace of the Raider pitching staff and no-hit sensation Tyler Purdue admits that it’s a pretty significant day for the SMS sport’s world.

“It makes me proud to wear green and gold,” Perdue said. “Now we have someone who played on the same field as us in the major leagues to look up to.”

Morin had a strong career at South and drew attention from major league teams even in high school. After his senior season, Morin was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 40th round but chose college instead. His impressive work lead him to pitch as a closer for the Division 1 Tarheels of North Carolina University. He was then drafted by the Angels in the 13th round in 2012. In 2013 he was the top minor league pitching prospect for the Angels. In 39 games, Morin posted a 1.93 earned-run average along with 23 saves. If that wasn’t enough, his strikeout to walk ratio was outstanding; 76 K’s and only 10 free passes.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia seemed optimistic about Morin’s ability to help the team.

“Michael has really come on,” Scioscia said according to the LA Times. “He has a great makeup. He’ll be ready for the opportunity.”

According to baseballprospectus.com, the average MLB pitcher pitcher pitches about 400 innings in the minors before they get a chance to show their skills in the bigs. Morin pitched just over 200 before getting his call.

Tonight the Angels return home to Anaheim to take on the Indians. First pitch will be thrown at 9:05 p.m. CT. Although the game won’t be televised on ESPN like last night’s matchup, there’s a better chance that Morin will take the bump in the later innings to give some of the other bullpen arms a rest. No matter the final result, sports fans in OP will have their eyes on the boxscore tomorrow morning to see if their hometown right-hander got his first taste of the show.