Paint Valley grad Brock Blanton overcomes injury to return home to play for Chillicothe Paints

CHILLICOTHE — Brock Blanton was looking for a new outlet once summer began.

The relief pitcher was in a bind and looking to find more time on the mound. He'd found success through his first three seasons at Eastern Kentucky, including a junior campaign in which he accrued three saves and struck out 29 through 27⅔ innings. His college career came to a sudden pause, however, after an injury shut him down midway through his latest season with the Colonels.

In a game against Tennessee in early March, Blanton broke his fibula after a Tennessee batter hit his pitch right back toward him. Blanton got the out, but he soon found it difficult to play as the pain increased.

"It was hard for me to walk so I gave it a few days," Blanton said. "It seemed to kind of get a little better and then it just got worse and worse. I went and got X-rays on it about a couple of weeks after, and I found out that I broke my fibula from that. So it caused my regular season to end for me in college this year, had to take a medical redshirt."

As Blanton healed, he was itching to get back on the mound. His injury, while excluding him from the remainder of the Colonels' season, gave him an opportunity to play again once summer came around.

Enter the Chillicothe Paints.

The Paints were no stranger to Blanton. As a Bainbridge native and a former player for Paint Valley, he remembers going to games at VA Memorial Stadium all too well and rooting for the now back-to-back Prospect League champions. He's even known a few other local players who have spent a summer or two playing for the Paints. His cousin, Pierce Knisley, also played for the Paints, as did fellow Paint Valley alum Cruz McFadden.

So, when the Paints reached out to Blanton to offer him a spot on the roster for the 2024 season, he didn't need time to ruminate on the offer.

"I've always said your dream as a local kid is to play for the Paints," Blanton said. "Playing in high school at the VA all the time, this is a fun atmosphere and a great place to play baseball. It feels good to be back in the area, to be in front of the local crowd and just to kind of have fun while doing it."

By the time Blanton suited up for the Paints, his recovery from his broken fibula was nearly finished, and he was set to take his place among the Paints' bullpen. His first appearance on June 18 against the Thrillville Thrillbillies earned him his first strikeout since the injury, and the time he's earned on the mound helped put his injury behind him.

Blanton hasn't needed to adjust much since joining the Paints. There was little turnover between his time at Eastern Kentucky and his trip back home to begin playing in the Prospect League. A new team, new manager and a different vibe from the Atlantic Sun Conference may have added a bit of a learning curve while still working back from injury, but Blanton took it in stride.

If anything, Blanton feels he benefits from playing for the Paints this summer. His teammates hail from different conferences, different teams and different divisions. Blanton feels he can best use the time in Chillicothe to both improve himself and see how other players at other levels approach the game.

"Having those teams with a lot of diversity, it makes it a very enjoyable and makes baseball a lot more fun," Blanton said. "You develop new habits, you develop new relationships with guys and they just become your boys, you know? You build the relationships that will last a lifetime, and it just makes the game a lot more fun. Everybody has some sort of thing that they do best, and when you put all those pieces of the puzzle together, it makes playing baseball just a whole different level of fun."

So far, the approach has worked. Blanton has felt himself coming back into the shape he was before his injury, and the Paints have torn through the first half of their season schedule. After Blanton closed out a win over the Dubois County Bombers on Friday, the Paints even secured a spot in the playoffs.

Chillicothe is used to success, and Blanton wants to be a part of that success. He wants to be the influence for younger players that come to VA Memorial stadium, like Knisley and McFadden were for him. That's not to mention the possibility of winning a third straight Prospect League title.

There's plenty that Blanton has enjoyed about his time with the Paints. He takes time to soak in the crowds that pack the stands night in and night out. He values the emphasis his teammates place on the prospect of a repeat title run. He enjoys seeing his family in the stands when they come to watch him play. What hovers above them all, however, is Blanton being able to return to the game, and town, he's known so well.

"Playing in front of the big crowd, to me, that's probably one of the biggest things that you look forward to," Blanton said. "You come out here and there's a couple hundred people or more here every single night for each game. Getting to come here and experience that, and not only experience but be a part of that, and be around the guys during that time, man. It's just unbeatable."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Paint Valley grad Brock Blanton overcomes injury to return home to play for Chillicothe Paints