WISE - - Former UVA Wise catcher Tyler Blaum was drafted in the second round of the Frontier League Draft by the Joliet (Ill.) Slammers Tuesday.

A native of Mechanicsville, Va., Blaum recently completed one of the more accomplished careers in program history. He finished his career with the most hits by any catcher in school history with 206, the number ranks fourth overall. Meanwhile, his 50 career doubles rank third in program history and his 122 runs scored ranks fifth.

"It has been my lifelong goal to play professional baseball," stated Blaum. "This is the first step in that long-term plan."

This season, Blaum led the Cavaliers with a .362 batting average while also posting a team-best 13 doubles and a team-high 42 hits; his 0.42 doubles per game were the most in the SAC

Behind the plate he was consistently the best defensive catcher in the league. As a senior, he played error free ball while throwing out 11-of-24 would be base stealers. His defensive work was highlighted by his play in a doubleheader against Coker when he threw out three base stealers in one game while throwing out four in the doubleheader. For his efforts, he was awarded the SAC's defensive award which is given annually to the league's top defensive catcher.

In addition to his defensive award, Blaum earned First-Team All-SAC honors this spring, marking the second time in his career he was a first-team all-conference honoree. The UVA Wise Male Athlete of the Year in 2020, Blaum is set to report to Joliet Monday.

The Frontier League is an independent professional baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwest portions of the United States along with teams in Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is currently the longest running independent league in the United States.