Former Murphy pitcher MaVorhis signs with Kansas State

This past spring Levi MaVorhis helped lead Archbishop Murphy to its first state baseball title and was named the Class 2A player of the year for his efforts.

But it took a trip to Kansas to lock up a Division I scholarship.

After showcasing his talents in a baseball tournament in Kansas in early July, MaVorhis was offered a baseball scholarship to Kansas State University. Two weeks later he signed on the dotted line and cemented his future as a Wildcat.

"I was really surprised; I didn't expect it to happen," MaVorhis said of the offer. "It's always been my goal to play D-1 ball so I was more than happy to sign."

Traveling with his summer baseball team, MaVorhis pitched in tournaments at KSU and in Topeka. After one of the games in Topeka, Kansas State pitching coach Josh Reynolds approached MaVorhis and told him they had a spot open and asked him if he'd be interested in becoming a Wildcat. For MaVorhis, who was ready to sign with Bellevue College before Kansas State came calling, it wasn't an easy decision.

"It was tough. Obviously it takes you out of the draft for three years and that was a big factor," MaVorhis said of the rule that makes players attending four-year university ineligible for the MLB draft until after their junior year. "Also I like Bellevue and it sends players to D-1 schools. But I like the (KSU) campus and it just seemed like a good place for me."

MaVorhis, who is leaving for Manhattan, Kansas a week from today, admitted that before his team's trip he'd never been to Kansas and that he didn't know anybody in the Jayhawk State. But he was impressed with what he saw on his first trip.

"I really liked it," MaVorhis said of Kansas. "We checked out Kansas City and it was during the (MLB) All-Star Game so that was cool. We also went to the Negro League Hall of Fame and tried some barbecue."

MaVorhis was named the Cascade Conference player of the year and was a first-team All-Area selection as a pitcher. The pitcher and first baseman finished the regular season 8-0 with a 2.08 earned run average and hit .469 at the plate.