Chaffee’s McKinnie signs with Jefferson College

On Wednesday Chaffee’s three-sport athlete Levi McKinnie signed with Jefferson College to continue his academic and baseball career. McKinnie helped the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the Class 2 state tournament in 2023.

Chaffee head coach Aaron Horrell said McKinnie is a “coach’s dream” because not only is he one of their best players but he is one of their hardest workers.

“Levi is one who when we start open gyms in January, he will stay after basketball practice and get up extra shots for 30 minutes,” Horrell said. “He’ll be the last ones down to baseball because he’s not going to cut any corners, but yet he’ll stay until the end getting his work in.”

Last season, McKinnie was named to the Class 2 All-State first team as a pitcher with a 9-2 record, 122 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA. McKinnie also had a great year as a hitter with a .304 batting average, 18 RBIs and two home runs.

Horrell said that McKinnie is a tireless worker who will do whatever his coaches ask of him and then double it, with no doubt it will continue at the next level.

“My hope for Levi is that he gets what he’s worked for as an individual, that our team can make this spring journey last as long as possible, and that he attacks every opportunity at JeffCo so that more opportunities open up to him after his time with the Vikings is over,” Horrell said.

McKinnie will have one last ride with his Red Devil teammates in 2024 before he heads north to become a Viking. McKinnie said the decision to choose Jefferson College came during his campus visit and through talking with others who have attended the school.

“I got to visit the campus and the coaches showed me the facilities and I got to meet the staff. It just felt like the right place for me,” McKinnie said. “I have a friend who played there previously and I heard good things so for me it was the right decision.”