LEAGUE NEWS

On Saturday June 7th Bret Underwood was busy doing something that is pretty common place for him, he was taking a nap.  He had followed the draft into the 16th round, but decided to lie down for a while and a very important phone call ended his nap.  “The scout asked me if I had been watching in which I replied not at the moment and with excitement in his voice he told me we just drafted you in the 20th round. I was at a loss for words and extremely excited and honored” Underwood recalls.  Bret was home in Mobile with his brother and while talking on the phone with a Giants scout, his brother called him in the other room to see his name on the MLB draft tracker.  “The feeling of getting that call and seeing your name is something I will never forget” says Underwood.

The dream had come true, a moment every ballplayer works for and dreams to experience.  After two years at Faulkner State Community College and one season at Northwestern State, Underwood has experienced his share of success on the ball field. However rough times in his life and playing career kept him wondering about what might be.  As Bret described himself, he used much of those times for motivation to be a better ballplayer.

“As you know I lost my mom in the beginning of my sophomore year due to cancer. She was always my number one fan and still is to this day. Not a moment during the day goes by when I don’t think about her and how proud she would be with the way I’ve gone about my career.  I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the man I am today without her. Same goes for my dad. From coaching me until I was 13, to throwing me BP before high school games and in between double headers to teaching me how to switch hit.  He devoted a lot of his time to help me be the best that I can be and to this day he is the first person to greet me after games and cheer me up when I had a bad day or keep me humble when I had a great one. I owe both of them all the credit in the world and cannot thank them enough. It was actually my freshman year when it hit me that I may have a future in this game at the next level. I had a good year and caught the interest of multiple local scouts.  I set some high goals that summer and told myself I was getting drafted the following year as a sophomore. Of course it has always been a dream to play professional baseball but my sophomore year had other things to say about that. After my mom passed away, I went into one of the worst batting slumps of my life and ended up eventually becoming a non-starter half way through the season. I played on one the best coached and talented clubs in my career that year and it was truly a blessing in disguise to be sitting the bench with that team. It humbled me greatly and I ended up finishing the year strong but by that time I had fallen off most of the D-I scouts radar.

The summer following his sophomore year at Faulkner State, Underwood ended up playing in the Red Stick Collegiate Baseball League hoping to stay sharp and find a place to continue playing out his collegiate eligibility.  He had received some interest from local Division I and II schools but he wasn’t decided that he had found the right place just yet.  During his summer playing in the RSCBL Underwood picked up some new interest and a new offer, and it fit just right. Bret explains “At the time, NSU was really not on my radar. However, during that summer, while playing in the RSCBL, the NSU coaches scouted me and started showing a lot of interest. After talking with the coaches and visiting the NSU campus, there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to play at NSU. I continue to thank Coach Burroughs, Coach Curry, Coach Morgan and Coach GT for giving me the opportunity to play there. It was the best fit for me and they knew that. These coaches gave me some of the best advice and coaching I’ve had in my career. They are great coaches and great role models for any ball player.”   When asked about his fondest memories of his season at NSU, he quickly points to the relationships developed with his coaches, teammates, and fans.  He even points to that support system as the number one part of playing for NSU.

Bret spent most of the season in Natchitoches hitting in the 2-hole and playing centerfield for the Demons.  “When he came into the league last summer he was really an unknown to any of us, I recall being at the field talking with Coach Owens and being very impressed in practice workouts with his athleticism and once we started playing games I remember quickly being very surprised that he hadn’t already signed with a D1 program and knew he would get some attention.  I knew after speaking to Coach Curry that NSU would be a likely destination for him if he liked them.  Towards the end of the summer I had spoken to several big D1 programs that were interested in him; I was excited when I found out he would be heading to NSU in the fall” says league commissioner Locke Wheeler.   Bret spent his summer playing for Coach Chris Owens and Coach Jordy Templet in the RSCBL for the Eye On The Ball sponsored team in 2013. “They managed our team very well and treated each player with the same amount of fairness and respect. Coming from a junior college, that is how I feel every team should be coached.  They knew I could play and watched what I was capable of doing and critiqued me on things I needed to improve on.  The friendships I made with them and the guys I played with on that team is something I will never forget. I can’t thank those guys enough for giving me that opportunity and helping me out along the way with my decision to sign with NSU.”

I asked Bret about some of the benefits and his fondest memories of his time spent in the RSCBL…

“The most beneficial thing I’d say was getting to bat from the right side of the plate so much. The pitching in the RSCBL is very strong and they had a lot of left handed pitchers that summer. As a result, I was able to get a lot of reps from the right side of the plate and improve my bat from that side which at the time was a weak spot in my game. Playing in Baton Rouge also gave numerous family members I have living near Baton Rouge the chance to come watch me play and cheer me on. Something I picked up playing in the Red Stick league and is a part of my routine when coming up to the plate is looking in the stands and seeing the people that have supported me from day one and that gives me a sense of serenity and calmness when I am up to the plate and I carried that over with me to NSU. My dad made as many games as possibly this past year at NSU and I can’t thank him enough for what he has done in my life as a former ball player at Ole Miss. He has taught me so much and continues to teach me the game to this day.”

“My all-time favorite memory while playing last summer for RSCBL would have to be meeting a future teammate James Coats who also played in the RSCBL. He gave me the insight on what to expect for my first year there which helped me out greatly. I thank him for that. Unfortunately due to injuries he was forced to hang his cleats up and become one of our great managers alongside Matt Farmer. I became close to both of these guys this last year and if it wasn’t for either of them, I would still be looking for my batting gloves and my mitt in the dugout. These two are great guys and will make awesome coaches in the near future and I wish them both the best of luck.”

During the summer of 2013, Bret hit .463 and stole 9 bases; he was near the top in nearly all offensive categories.  He also played a flawless centerfield in 13 starts, fielding 1.000 with 31 putouts and 3 assist.