Max Belyeu helped the University of Texas baseball team reach the NCAA regionals this spring following a season where he was one of the most prolific hitters in college baseball.

Then he sat while waiting for the MLB draft. Then he sat some more after the draft, before finally being assigned to the Spokane Indians for the final few weeks of the Northwest League season to get his first taste of professional baseball.

His debut on Aug. 12 really couldn’t have gone worse. Inserted into a game for the first time in 21/2 months, Belyeu – in the lineup at leadoff hitter, no less – went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts against the Vancouver Canadians.

“Obviously not the way I wanted to start it,” he said. “But the good news is I woke up (the next day) and I’m here to play again.”

One of the first things a young player has to learn about being a pro is the ability to brush off the previous day – good or bad – and move on to the next.

“I think it’s definitely a skill, training yourself mentally when you have those types of days,” Belyeu said. “You can’t dwell on them. You have to reset and get ready to play the next day.”

Despite missing 26 contests due to a thumb injury in 2025, Belyeu – a 6-foot-2, 215-pound slugger – reached safely in 30 of his 32 games he played in for the Longhorns this season. He slashed .303/.410/.576 with nine homers and 29 RBIs, following a breakout sophomore All-American campaign when he was named Big 12 Player of the Year, pacing UT in slugging (.667), OPS (1.090) and multi-RBI performances (15), while matching the team lead in home runs (18).

His track record led the Colorado Rockies to select Belyeu with their competitive balance round pick, No. 74 overall, in July’s MLB draft.

In 10 games with the Indians, Belyeu is hitting .237/.356/.474 with three homers, five RBIs and seven walks, though he has struck out 16 times in 45 plate appearances.

“I’m just really learning how to hit at this level,” he said last week. “It’s a big jump from college. I’m just working on my two-strike approach and finding a way to get on first.”

The layoff allowed Belyeu some downtime after dealing with the injured thumb that limited him to 132 at-bats with Texas.

“I spent a lot of time with my family heading up to the draft,” he said. “It was good to have time to just be with family before starting my professional career.”

After the draft, the Rockies sent Belyeu to their Arizona complex for a few weeks to get back up to speed.

“Since the draft I’ve been training, just being ready for my chance to get back on the field,” he said. “(Arizona) was really nice. Loved the staff down there and the experience was really cool.”

A .318 hitter over three seasons in college, Belyeu doesn’t have any number goals in mind over the last few weeks of the NWL season.

“I really just want to compete in the box. Really learn how to hit at this level,” he said. “I’m not really worried about my power right now. I just want to make sure I have a good base and foundation and approach.”

Belyeu admits to reading online scouting reports about his game, but more as a curiosity rather than on an informational basis.

“I don’t really pay that much attention to that,” he said. “I just kind of use what the game is telling me and how my at-bats are going to get my information to what I need to work on and continue to do.”

Belyeu is following a similar path as one of his Texas teammates – former Indians outfielder Jared Thomas, who hit .330 in 73 games in Spokane earlier this season.

“(Thomas) said he loved it up here,” Belyeu said. “He’s been promoted to Double-A (Hartford) now but he really enjoyed his time here and I’ve been taking a lot of advice from him.”

Belyeu described his time with the Longhorns as an “awesome experience.” He was born in Dallas and went to high school in Waxahachie, a city of 41,000 just south of Dallas.

“I got to be around really great coaches. I thought the instruction was really good and I learned how play in front of a big fan base. That was really special to play each day in front of fans and to know how to carry yourself.”

Belyeu just wants to make the most of the remaining 12 games on the Indians schedule for this season.

“The guys have been great to me. The coaches have welcomed me and I’m excited to be here.”