All-State baseball: How hockey shaped Edmond Santa Fe's Blake Robertson on the baseball field

EDMOND — Blake Robertson started with a hockey stick.

His father, Peter, was playing for the Oklahoma City Blazers. Blake, not yet in school, spent a lot of time at the rink dreaming of becoming a star on the ice.

The hockey stick became a staple for the young boy until a baseball bat was put in his hands for t-ball. That ultimately changed everything.

Baseball would win out by Blake’s teenage years.

“I felt like if I dedicated to baseball it would make me a better player,” Robertson said. “I feel like I made a good decision.”

Five years after walking away from the sport his father starred in, Blake is a star on the baseball diamond. He led Edmond Santa Fe High School to the Class 6A state championship for the first time in school history as he developed into a two-way force in the biggest moments.

Blake, a corner infielder and pitcher, is The Oklahoman’s All-State Player of the Year.

“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” said Edmond Santa Fe coach Ryan Phillips, The Oklahoman’s All-State Coach of the Year.

To get there, Blake first had to walk away from his first love.

Blake spent his childhood playing hockey from Labor Day until mid-March. By then, his travel baseball team was going strong. He never felt comfortable om the diamond until May and he was growing so fast his feet and knees often ached.

So, he approached his mom about giving up hockey. What would Dad say? Peter, naturally, was fine with the decision.

“Everyone has a different path,” Peter said. “I always tell him he’s a product of his environment. The kids from Colorado, Minnesota and the Northeast are pretty good at hockey just because it’s available. The kids in the Midwest and the South are pretty good at baseball, basketball and football.”

Robertson immediately took off.

This spring, he returned from an injury his junior year to hit 16 extra-base hits and drive in 37 runs while serving as the Wolves’ ace pitcher.

He proved to be a tough out against some of the state’s top pitchers. He hit a home run off Mustang star and Vanderbilt commit Dax Fulton, a close friend. He had a huge RBI single against Owasso star and Arkansas commit Nate Wohlgemuth in the state quarterfinals, a game Blake pitched a complete-game shutout.

“I’m comfortable with good pitchers on the mound,” Robertson said. “I feel like I see the ball a little better. It just locks me in a little bit because you have to grind every pitch.”

That’s why MLB scouts fell for Robertson. They were at practices and nearly every game. An Oklahoma State signee, he was drafted by the Twins in the 26th round of last week’s MLB Draft. He’ll head to OSU instead of the pros. That decision was reached before the draft with his father.

Putting away the hockey stick wasn’t a bad idea.

“It’s been a good ride, I would say,” Robertson said.