North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Brackman Says Baseball-Only Has Helped
5/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. Sure, NC State junior pitcher Andrew Brackman says, playing basketball and baseball at the same time for the Wolfpack was more fun. But college isn’t always about fun and games, especially for a high-profile student-athlete like Brackman. It's about preparing himself for the future.
The 6-foot, 10-inch right-hander made the decision to stick with baseball only this season, compiling a 6-4 record, a 3.81 earned run average and a .264 opponents batting average. While his numbers may not be as dominating as the overwhelming expectations he faced heading into the season, Brackman is still considered a prime prospect for the June draft of amateur baseball players.
“This year has definitely helped me as a pitcher,” Brackman said. “I am still very young to the game of baseball. Noting ever having pitched a full season before, I have definitely learned what I can do and what I can’t do. It has helped me as a baseball player.”
“I have to work more on my legs and my lower body,” Brackman said.
The Cincinnati native has logged 78 innings heading into this weekend’s three-game series against Clemson, the Wolfpack’s final series of the regular season. That’s more than Brackman threw in his first two seasons combined with the Wolfpack, when he split time on the hardwoods and on the diamond. He threw 43 as a freshman and 29 1/3 as a sophomore before a hip injury ended his season in April. Brackman still considers himself an “unpolished stone.” He’s thought about the draft, which begins on June 7, but hasn’t thought too much about where he might go. And he says he’s not overly worried about it.
“The draft is a funny thing,” Brackman said. “You could go really high or you could slip, like (former Notre Dame quarterback) Brady Quinn (in the NFL draft). When that day comes, it’s a fun day.”
Brackman says he’s more concerned about getting the Wolfpack through the rest of the regular season, the ACC Tournament and into an NCAA Regional for the seventh consecutive season. “That’s one of the greatest things about Andrew,” Avent said. “He’s always been a terrific team player.”
Brackman and Avent know that he will have to log even more baseball-only time in the minor leagues to refine his skills if he wants to be a successful major league pitcher.
“He still has some developing to do,” Avent said. “That is why this year has been great for him. It is going to help him so much over the next three or four years, hopefully in the minor leagues. He is an unpolished stone in a lot of ways. This is a guy who could go to the big leagues right now and get people out. But is that the best thing for his longevity? In my opinion, without a doubt, no.” Brackman says he’s in no hurry.
“It’s a process if you are not ready, why push it?” Brackman said. “I set a goal right now that I want to make it up there first, but then once I get there, I want to be an established starter in the big leagues. I just want to be on the mound. I want to be out there playing.” “I definitely have a lot more work to do, but in time I can get where I want to be.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
