INDIANAPOLIS – Former Kentucky Wesleyan student-athlete Chris Smith made his Major League Baseball debut on Wednesday night for the Toronto Blue Jays in a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
 
Smith played at Kentucky Wesleyan from 2007-2010 as a second baseman and a pitcher while the Panthers were affiliated with the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
Smith pitched a scoreless inning of relief to close out the game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto last night. The 28-year old hard-throwing righty was called up from AAA Buffalo the same day.
 
He was limited to just one appearance for Buffalo in April due to an elbow injury, but has a 3.93 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB in 18.1 innings since returning.
 
Smith, from Louisville, Ky., started his professional career in 2010 with the Frontier League and made his way through the independent circuit before being signed by the New York Yankees in 2014.
 
At KWC, Smith played in 191 games while batting .265 with 28 doubles, six triples and five home runs in his collegiate career. He plated 80 RBI and primarily pitched in just his senior year with eight saves in 15 appearances.
 
Smith was also called up to the big-league squad back on September 27, 2016, but did not make an appearance despite being on the active roster.
 
A handful of current or incoming Great Midwest Athletic Conference-affiliated alumni, draft picks or free agent signings, are currently making an impact in the minor leagues at all levels (read here).