AUBURN - It's not often that a player misses the first couple weeks of the already-short Single-A minor league baseball season and comes in to make an immediate impact on his team, but that's just what Sean Ochinko has done with the Auburn Doubledays.

Fresh off his heroics in the College World Series as a standout with Louisiana State University, Ochinko has played in 10 games, through Sunday, with the struggling Doubledays. Though he's one of the team's four catchers, Ochinko is one player that fans have been clamoring to see since he was drafted in the 11th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in June's MLB amateur draft.

The Florida native played a big part in the Tigers' College World Series win over Texas in late June, racking up four hits, including a two-run single and a home run, in the deciding third game. In what may not be a coincidence, the catcher - who actually played first base in college - did not play in the second game of the series, in which LSU lost 5-1.

“(The College World Series) was unbelievable, it was the best experience I've ever had,” Ochinko said. “The team, the players - it was a very special time in my life.”

It was even better, knowing that he didn't exactly play a passive role in LSU's sixth title.

“It was fun,” he said. “(Getting those big hits) was awesome for me, anything I could do to help the team win was very special for me.”

Getting away from the spotlight of college baseball's biggest stage and coming to Auburn hasn't been all that big of an adjustment for Ochinko, especially since he joined the Doubledays' lineup on the road in Mahoning Valley July 9 and has only played three games at Falcon Park so far.

“It's definitely different (coming to Auburn), but I like it so far,” he said. “I knew I was ready to move on from LSU to come to a place like this, so I'm OK with it. It's not bad.”

Neither is splitting time with three other guys - Karim Turkamani, Yan Gomes and Jack Murphy - behind the plate, especially since he's only played catcher for Auburn a handful of times. The versatile player has spread out his time between designated hitter, catcher and first baseman in his short stint with the team.

“I like to catch; that's what they drafted me as,” Ochinko said. “But as long as I get to hit, at this point early in the season, wherever is fine with me.”

Even if that spot is at third base, which could happen at some point this summer. But similarly to Gomes, who was drafted one round ahead of him, Ochinko welcomes the competition at the position he prefers to play.

“It's fine, all the guys there are good guys and they all play hard,” he said. “The coach is mixing it up with playing time, so it's all good.”

Heading into Monday's game in Tri-City, Ochinko has one of the Doubledays' top batting averages at .276 and has earned eight hits, four doubles and two RBIs in his first 10 games with the team - which is pretty good for a player that may not be as physically ideal as some baseball scouts would like, listed at 5-11 and 205 pounds.

“I've played ever since I was 6-years-old and ever since then, I knew it was the sport for me because I'm short and not too fast,” Ochinko said. “So this is the only one that I knew I could ever have a shot at.”

Even without a triple on his impressive collegiate resume, Ochinko was highly touted in the Blue Jays' organization, jumping on to everyone's radar with his impressive stint in his final two games at LSU.

“I was happy with (being drafted in the 11th round), he said. ”I was just excited to have the chance to play professional baseball - it's been my dream now for a long time.“

While one of his dreams was unfolding in Omaha, Neb., another one has begun in Auburn.

“I always felt like I could play pro ball,” Ochinko said. “But this is the first time it hit me that I'm actually going to do it.”