03-09-2012, 11:16 PM
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. â Itâs been a pretty good March for Bubby Brooks. As one of the biggest fans of the North Laurel basketball team, he cheered the Jaguars to their first 13th Region title. He also hit a half court shot at to win $100 cash. Wednesday he signed to play college baseball for Pikeville. And thatâs just the first week of the month.
âItâs always been what I wanted to do since I first started playing was to play college baseball. I think the dream became a reality close to my sophomore year,â Brooks said. âFrom then on everything I was doing was working toward playing at that level.â
When Brooks was a sophomore he played with Tanner Smith, who signed with Western Kentucky University. As a junior he watched as Zach Storm sign with the University of Kentucky.
âIf you play here and you work hard, if thatâs what you want to do, then you can do it,â Brooks said.
Brooks also considered Morehead and Eastern with final decision coming down to Pikeville and Union. He felt like Pikeville would be the best fit.
What Pikeville gets is a multi-talented athlete that can play just about any position and play it well. His first chance for the Bears will be as an infielder, but he can also play outfield, and will be the No. 1 pitcher this season on the North Laurel staff.
âIn the end, I will play wherever they need me to,â Brooks said.
Pikeville coach Chad Gassman first spotted Brooks at a tryout at Morehead State, where Brooks took turns at four different positions.
âI loved his energy. Then I watched him pitch and I was like this is the kind of kid we need. I called it a Bulldog-type attitude,â Gassman said.
That attitude is what Gassman, a first-year coach at Pikeville, thinks it will take to build a winning program at Pikeville.
âWeâve got to change the culture of our program and it starts with players like (Brooks),â Gassman said. âWe want to sign good athletes that can do a lot of different things.â
Although Gassman did not know the Pikeville football team had just signed North Laurelâs Brandon Ball, he said he wasnât surprised.
âLaurel County has great athletes. North Laurel has done a great job and South Laurel too. We know this is where we can get some good players from,â Gassman said.
Brooks has been a four-year starter at North Laurel and also pitched for the varsity as an eighth grader. âI canât say enough about how much he loves to play baseball. He works hard and he loves to play,â North Laurel coach Darren McWhorter said.
Brooks hit .349 last season with 20 RBI. He stuck out just eight times in 83 at bats. His 21 hits were third on the team behind Storm and Marcus Carson. On the mound, he had a 2-3 record with a 4.29 ERA. Brooks, who throws in the mid to upper 80s, struck out 37 batters in 32 innings.
âGood kid. Good grades. You never have to worry about anything. Heâs the kind of guy you enjoy coaching. Guys like that are the reason I do this and I love seeing it pay off for him,â McWhorter said.
Brooks played all summer on a travelling team, the Kentucky Stars, which won the World Series in their division.
http://www.sentinel-echo.com/localsports...-Pikeville
âItâs always been what I wanted to do since I first started playing was to play college baseball. I think the dream became a reality close to my sophomore year,â Brooks said. âFrom then on everything I was doing was working toward playing at that level.â
When Brooks was a sophomore he played with Tanner Smith, who signed with Western Kentucky University. As a junior he watched as Zach Storm sign with the University of Kentucky.
âIf you play here and you work hard, if thatâs what you want to do, then you can do it,â Brooks said.
Brooks also considered Morehead and Eastern with final decision coming down to Pikeville and Union. He felt like Pikeville would be the best fit.
What Pikeville gets is a multi-talented athlete that can play just about any position and play it well. His first chance for the Bears will be as an infielder, but he can also play outfield, and will be the No. 1 pitcher this season on the North Laurel staff.
âIn the end, I will play wherever they need me to,â Brooks said.
Pikeville coach Chad Gassman first spotted Brooks at a tryout at Morehead State, where Brooks took turns at four different positions.
âI loved his energy. Then I watched him pitch and I was like this is the kind of kid we need. I called it a Bulldog-type attitude,â Gassman said.
That attitude is what Gassman, a first-year coach at Pikeville, thinks it will take to build a winning program at Pikeville.
âWeâve got to change the culture of our program and it starts with players like (Brooks),â Gassman said. âWe want to sign good athletes that can do a lot of different things.â
Although Gassman did not know the Pikeville football team had just signed North Laurelâs Brandon Ball, he said he wasnât surprised.
âLaurel County has great athletes. North Laurel has done a great job and South Laurel too. We know this is where we can get some good players from,â Gassman said.
Brooks has been a four-year starter at North Laurel and also pitched for the varsity as an eighth grader. âI canât say enough about how much he loves to play baseball. He works hard and he loves to play,â North Laurel coach Darren McWhorter said.
Brooks hit .349 last season with 20 RBI. He stuck out just eight times in 83 at bats. His 21 hits were third on the team behind Storm and Marcus Carson. On the mound, he had a 2-3 record with a 4.29 ERA. Brooks, who throws in the mid to upper 80s, struck out 37 batters in 32 innings.
âGood kid. Good grades. You never have to worry about anything. Heâs the kind of guy you enjoy coaching. Guys like that are the reason I do this and I love seeing it pay off for him,â McWhorter said.
Brooks played all summer on a travelling team, the Kentucky Stars, which won the World Series in their division.
http://www.sentinel-echo.com/localsports...-Pikeville
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