Former Elon pitcher Jimmy Reyes is currently a relief pitcher for the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, one of the minor league affiliates for Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. He is also taking classes to complete his degree at Elon. The Pendulum spoke to Reyes about his experience being drafted out of Elon, playing minor league baseball and playing a role in Pelicans history.

Q: Talk about the experience of playing minor league baseball.

A: It’s great. Every day is pretty much the same, just like the last one. Every now and then some crazy things happen, cool things happen to spice it up. It’s great to be able to play this game every day, so that’s obviously a blessing. I thank God every day for that.

Q: Minor league baseball has a reputation of being kind of quirky with the between-inning promotions. How does that compare with being at Elon?

A: College baseball is a little more serious and it’s not so much about getting fans in the stands as it is about winning games. I think the funniest promotion so far this year has to be a dog that was running around and had a monkey strapped to its back and they were herding goats, so that was interesting. A close second, there was a midget running around who was doing some funny things, too.

Q: What was it like to be drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft? (Note: Reyes was picked in the seventh round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Rangers.)

A: It was pretty cool. Coming into Elon, I wasn’t expected to be drafted or anything like that, so to get better and progress as I went along was kind of cool. Just to hear my name called at some point in the draft, didn’t matter where, made me feel really good.

Q: Talk about your journey from being drafted to being in Myrtle Beach.

A: Being a college guy, a left-handed guy who is a little on the shorter side, I definitely have to prove myself. I know I’m not a huge prospect or anything like that, so I know I have to perform day in and day out. But it’s been a great journey so far. Every year has been a great experience and every offseason, I can’t wait to start the next (season).

Q: Talk about completing a no-hitter. (Note: Reyes completed a no-hitter against the Wilmington Blue Rocks May 19, throwing one and two-thirds innings of no-hit ball to share a no-hitter with fellow Pelicans pitcher Nick Tepesch.)

A: It was pretty cool to be a part of that. You don’t really get an opportunity to do that very often. And to have the first one in Pelicans history was pretty cool as well. When I heard my name called, I was trying hard not to mess up Nick Tepesch’s outing, because I came in with a runner on first and second, and I know that if I get those runs, not only is a no-hitter not intact, his outing goes from great to good. So I didn’t want to mess that up, that was my first priority. Going into that last inning, the ninth inning, I was like, “Alright, let’s do this, let’s close it out.”

Q: You come back to Elon in the fall and train. Why?

A: Even though I’m two years removed from Elon, I still feel really connected. Ever since I first stepped foot on that campus as a junior in high school, I knew that was where I wanted to go. It holds a special place in my heart. I’m finishing up classes — I got drafted as a junior, so I still have a year of school left. So I went back and did a semester of school. It’s always great to come back and talk to the coaches, talk to the players and work out with the guys. So it’s awesome.

Q: It really seems like Elon baseball is a family.

A: Absolutely. And even though they may not have had the greatest year this year, sub-par for Elon standards, the team’s really close. Everyone hangs out together. The coaching staff has been there for almost 15 years now. It’s definitely a family at Elon.

Compiled by Zachary Horner, Sports Editor