Recent Miami Trace High School graduate, Austin Brown, announced his college selection a short time ago.
Brown will be continuing his education and baseball career at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
“I basically just said, ‘I’m going there,’” Brown said. “The baseball program is so good. And, academic-wise, it’s pretty good, too.”
Brown is going to major in bio-chemistry.
“Basically just research,” Brown said, when asked what he would do with that course of study.
What were Brown’s favorite subjects in high school?
“Definitely chemistry,” Brown said. “Any math or science classes are really my strong suit.”
Favorite teachers were?
“Mr. (Kyle) McConnaughey, he taught me career cap and college cap,” Brown said. “Basically, what you need to do in order to get to where I am right now.”
Favorite career moment?
“Probably the no-hitter (he threw) against Greenfield (McClain) last year here,” Brown said.
Baseball goes back a long way in Brown’s life.
“Ever since I started walking, my dad’s told me I tried to throw, I did the pitching motions,” Brown said. “It just stuck with me.”
Brown was asked what it would take from him to be a success at the next level.
“Just keep working and never stop,” Brown said. “Never give up. That’s how it is.”
Thank yous
“Definitely my parents,” Brown said. “They’ve gotten me to where I am now. They got me all the equipment, they took me to places. They really pushed me to be better.
“Coach (Matt) Platt has helped me a lot with my pitching,” Brown said. “Coach (Rob) Smith helped me stay within myself and keep my head up.
“Mainly pitching is all I’m going to do,” Brown said. “I need to work on that. That’s all I want to do.”
What about going to Miami Trace?
“It’s been amazing,” Brown said. “I’ve grown up with most of these people and, it’s just something you can’t get anywhere else. It’s good.”
“I’m really excited for him,” Smith said. “I’ve coached a lot of kids and he’s probably been the most positive kid I’ve ever coached. He always comes to a game or to practice with a positive attitude. He’s worked hard. He’s come a long way as a baseball player. I don’t think he’s scratched the surface yet as far as what he’s capable of doing.
“You’ve seen improvement each year,” Smith said. “Being a left-hander and a tall kid, I think the sky’s the limit for him at Mount Vernon.
“He worked very hard at basketball and baseball,” Smith said. “By his hard work, he came a long way from his freshman year to his senior year. Each year he got better and better. Being a high-quality kid, the coach at Mount Vernon is going to be happy getting a kid like Austin.”
Brown went 5-2 for Miami Trace in 2019 with an earned run average of 0.33.
“He pitched a no-hitter last year against McClain,” Smith said. “He and Austin Mathews were our two work horses this year. They were basically interchangeable, one left-handed and one right-handed.
“I think his best days are ahead of him,” Smith said. “Because he’s continued to get better.”
