OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Former Johnson County Community College right-handed pitcher Paul Rector has begun his professional career with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Professional Baseball after signing his pro contract on July 6.
Two days later he made his professional debut pitching 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in a 1-0 victory over the Cleburne Railroaders. The Explorers are currently 29-25 but are riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native played three seasons for the Cavaliers including the 2020 season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a freshman in 2019, Rector earned All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference East Division second-team after making 18 appearances on the hill all in relief. He logged 33.1 innings and finished with an ERA of 3.23 and five saves, which ranked fifth for a season at JCCC. He did not allow a hit or run in the first eight innings of work that spanned five games.
In 2020, Record made nine relief appearances and was 2-1 with one save and 37 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched. He allowed just seven runs, five earned, off seven hits for an ERA of 2.37. His seven hits allowed ranked as the fourth fewest in a season in team history. In the second week of the season, Rector was chosen the Kansas Jayhawk Conference Pitcher of the Week after hurling five innings of hitless relief to help the Cavaliers to a 6-5 win over Ellsworth. He also earned NJCAA All-Academic third-team with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79.
In his final season at JCCC, Rector made 13 appearances, all in relief. He finished 4-1 with 46 strikeouts in 32.0 innings pitched, and an ERA of 5.34. He held opposing hitters to a .234 average.
For his career, Rector made 39 appearances, and struck out 121 batters over 82.1 innings of work. He finished 6-2 with six saves with an ERA of 3.84. His six saves tied for eighth at JCCC, and his 121 strikeouts ranked 16th all-time.
Rector closed out his career at Lamar University in 2022. He made relief appearances, logging 6.0 innings on the bump, with five strikeouts.