Brian Turner
For Section618.com

In a year where getting recruited could prove to be especially difficult due to COVID and scholarship fallouts, Fairfield senior Max Puckett became the first Mule to sign a Letter of Intent, inking to play for the Olney Central College Blue Knights next year.

Puckett, a burly hard throwing righty, lost his junior year of high school baseball when the season was cancelled by the IHSA last year due to the pandemic.

He was undeterred by that, however, putting in work with pitching coach Mike Rodgers of Olney, along with playing travel ball for Jim Grief’s Kentucky Diamond Kings out of Paducah.

As a sophomore, Puckett primarily pitched in relief for the 23-4 Mules, helping them to a regional championship.

He was 3-0 on the mound with two saves. In 17 innings, he allowed 10 hits and 17 walks, striking out 29. He finished with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP.

At the plate, Puckett had 14 plate appearances, going 1-for-10 with four walks.

The Blue Knights are one of the most successful baseball programs in the area, with head coach Dennis Conley now in his fifth decade as head coach. They have had 36 straight winning seasons and have had 45 former players sign professional contracts.

Max is the son of Fred and Marcia Puckett. He plans to study criminal justice while at OCC.