Carroll (Hornell '02) enjoys staying on his grind
Photo by Dan Hickling @DanHickling
By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY – More than a decade has passed since Brett Carroll roamed the fields of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
Time hasn’t erased the memories.
The veteran of ten years in professional baseball, including parts of six seasons in the majors, has played 180 games in the bigs, hit a home run off a future hall of famer, but still keeps a memento from his summer in the NYCBL.
“I still have the hat - Dodger blue with an H,” Carroll said following a recent batting practice prior to an International League game at Frontier Field. “It was a great experience, the first time really being far away from home for a substantial amount of time.”
Carroll hit .278 for the 2002 Hornell Dodgers which went on to defeat the Schenectady Mohawks in the New York Collegiate Baseball League Championship.
“That was a great foundational step in my baseball career. I had a great host family. It was great to be in a community like that. I’m very appreciative of the people of Hornell and the time I got to spend there. They made it home away from home.”
Carroll also held on to a pair of bats from that first season swinging wood in competitive games.
“I remember thinking ‘God, I’m puny with this wood bat. I gotta get some strength.’ I remember treating my wooden bats like they were a car. I’d clean ‘em. I’d keep ‘em all nice and pine tarred up.”
The Knoxville, TN resident came to Hornell after his freshman year at Middle Tennessee State where he hit .257 in 43 games (39 starts) for the Blue Raiders. The outfielder drove in 29 runs with six home runs and 12 doubles during his college season.
Two years later the Florida Marlins chose the 5-10, 210 pound Carroll in the 10th round of the MLB Draft. Since then he has played in five different organizations. Success and setbacks have provided him with a positive outlook and an understanding of baseball's realities.
