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Brentz proving to be premier player
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Middle Tennessee baseball coach Steve Peterson thought Bryce Brentz had a chance to be a special player.
Brentz, after all, led Knoxville South Doyle High School to the state tournament as a solid hitter, pitcher and outfielder. He also lettered in football and wrestling at South Doyle, showing obvious athletic ability.
For whatever reason, Southeastern Conference schools such as Brentz’s hometown school, the University of Tennessee, showed little interest in him. Peterson, however, took advantage of other schools’ mistake by recruiting Brentz hard.
Anyone who has followed Middle Tennessee baseball knows that Peterson is charming and an excellent salesman. When he gets in an athlete’s living room the odds are pretty high that he’ll seal the deal.
Peterson wasn’t the only one who noticed Brentz’s talent. The Cleveland Indians recognized his talents, drafting him in the 30th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball First Year Amateur Player Draft. He considered signing with Cleveland but elected to attend Middle Tennessee.
Cleveland’s loss has been Middle Tennessee’s gain.
As a freshman in 2008 he showed some serious potential by being named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and by making the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team. He hit .329 with 14 doubles and 18 home runs as a freshman.
In 2009 Brentz has torched the competition, emerging as one of the nation’s premier players. As a sophomore in 2009, he led the nation in four categories: batting average (.465), home runs (28), slugging percentage (.930) and total bases (214).
As a sophomore he led the Sun Belt Conference in six categories: batting average, hits (107), home runs, total bases, on-base percentage (.535) and slugging percentage. As a result, he earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors, six All-American honors and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Brentz, who plays outfield and pitches for the Blue Raiders, proved he’s not just padding his stats against midmajors recently when he was one of 22 players named to the USA Baseball National Team.
He’s the first Blue Raider to earn a spot on the national team since Dewon Brazelton in 2000. Playing on the national team propelled Brazelton into the national spotlight, and he was the third overall pick in the 2001 Major League draft.
It’s hard to argue that Brentz is on his way to being a first-round pick in the 2010 draft. It’s also hard to argue his decision to attend college instead of sign out of high school. Instead of signing for thousands of dollars he’ll be signing for millions of dollars.
He would've been a high draft pick in 2009, but he wasn't eligible since he graduated from high school two years ago. You have to be out of high school for three years to be eligible for the draft.
He’s already established himself as one of the best players in Blue Raider history. He’s also establishing himself as one of the best players in the country.
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