Published: July 30, 2009 11:19 pm         

Cats' Brown commits to play at GSU

Dalton High second baseman Stryker Brown, who helped the Catamounts capture the Region 7-4A championship and reach the state playoffs last season, has committed to play baseball at Georgia Southern where he will be coached Rodney Hennon, his uncle.

Brown, a starting quarterback on the Cats’ football team that begins preseason practice on Saturday, batted .340 as a junior and was instrumental in leading Dalton to a 22-6 record. The Cats lost a best-of-three series, 2-1, to Winder-Barrow in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. He also directed the football Cats to a 7-3 record in 2008.

Although a standout in both sports, the decision to play baseball rather than football in college was easy, Brown said.

“Ever since I was a little kid I knew I wanted to play baseball in college,” Brown said Thursday. “Or at least get the chance to play in college. Once the opportunity came about, that’s certainly what I wanted to do.”

Another factor in choosing Hennon’s Eagles was the fact Brown will have a shot at playing in the NCAA College World Series during his time in Statesboro. In 10 seasons at GSU, Hennon has a 370-223 record with nine Southern Conference titles and appearances in 10 NCAA regionals and two College World Series.

“They’re going in a good direction down there,” Brown said. “They had a good year last year and made it to the NCAA regionals, and I wanted the best opportunity to get to the College World Series. That’s the best place for me to do that.”

Brown said he expects to play second base at GSU, a position he’s played throughout his high school career. Brown said he also considered Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville (Ala.) State, Southern Miss and The Citadel.

“Georgia Southern recently built a new stadium and it’s nicer than any other place I visited,” Brown said. “That’s helped in my decision. Everything down there is just nice and I’ve been down there a lot and know what kind of program they have. My sister goes to school there too.”

Brown also said one reason for committing early is to eliminate the pressure of recruiting so he can concentrate on football and baseball in his senior year at Dalton.

A left-handed hitting infielder, Brown helped the Cats to a 22-6 record and had a 19-game winning streak until losing its final two games to Winder-Barrow.

“That was a bitter loss,” he said. “They were a four-seed and we were a one. We didn’t look past them, we just thought we were capable of beating them. We just didn’t.

“I think we’ve got a good team coming back this coming season and we should pick up right where we left off. With a few breaks, I think we can go deep in the playoffs and have a chance to play for a state championship.”

Brown had 32 hits in 94 at-bats last season, with eight doubles, a triple and five home runs. He drove in 29 runs and stole 11 bases and had a solid summer playing with Team Georgia, where he batted .500.

“Stryker is a hard worker and he has a bright future ahead of him in college,” said Cats coach Bobby Brotherton, who has coached in college. “He’s a very heads-up player who came back from playing with Team Georgia with an air of confidence about him. He’s a big-time competitor. When the lights go on, he’s ready to play.”

     

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