Baseball has always been Blakely Brown’s sport. He knew it from the first time he picked up a bat and ball. It was a Wiffle ball set, and the bat was bigger than he was. But something special happened when that bat and ball met his hands, something special that is still going on to this day. Over the years, Brown tried a few other sports, including football. He wasn’t a bad football player at all. He just didn’t have a passion for the gridiron. No matter where he was or what he was doing, he was always thinking about baseball. “My passion was baseball,” he recalls. “I was hoping my future would be in baseball. I knew I would have to work hard and stay committed to the game.”
These days, Brown is a pitcher and middle infielder for the Blue Devils. He’s a natural athlete who can play just about anywhere on the field. With his solid command of four pitches (fastball, change-up, curve, two-seam fastball) and a velocity north of 90 miles per hour, he makes his most significant contributions on the mound. “I just try to do everything I can to help our team win. I try to play to the best of my abilities,” he says.
It’s one thing to be able to rock back and sling a baseball. It’s another thing entirely to know how to pitch, to remain calm in difficult situations, and refuse to let opposing batters intimidate you. Brown has all of those qualities in spades. Take, for example, a playoff game last year against West Laurens. It was the decisive game three, and neither team could put up much offense. Heading into the seventh and final inning, the score was knotted at zero. In the top of the seventh, Statesboro scored a run to take a slim 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Head Coach Jim Simmons chose Brown to close the game. Brown remained calm and never got into any trouble during the inning. He shut down West Laurens relatively easily to preserve Statesboro’s advantage and move on to the next round. “I try to compete as best I can. I just want to give everything I can,” he says.
Brown has continued to play well and is a big reason the Blue Devils were 13-3 and in contention for a region title at press time. It’s also a reason the University of Georgia took interest in Brown. And once the Bulldogs, who were recruiting Brown to pitch, came calling, Brown’s college search was over. “I grew up following the University of Georgia. Once I went there on a visit, I fell in love with Athens. I knew it was the place I wanted to be,” he says. He committed in December, leaving him two full seasons to focus on baseball and nothing else. “I wanted to make my decision on college and get it over with. That way, I can spend all my time trying to get better.”
While committing to Georgia was a big step for Brown, his journey is far from over. There is still his junior year to finish, then his all-important senior season next year. He knows he hasn’t developed fully as a baseball player and still has a lot of work to do. Over the next 12 months or so, that will be his primary goal – to get better, to throw harder, to pitch smarter, to do whatever he can to help the Blue Devils be the best team they can be. “My personal goals at the end of the road keep me motivated and working hard. What I want to accomplish will take a lot of work, but if I keep working hard and putting in the time, they are achievable,” he says.
Over the years, Blakely Brown has amassed an impressive array of awards, including All-Region last year, 2012 Georgia Dugout Club Top 40 Sophomores, 2013 Georgia Dugout Club Top 100, and 2013 Perfect Game USA High School Underclassmen All-American. The awards motivate Brown to play better and validate the dedication he has shown to baseball since he was young. “I am proud of each award. They make me want to keep working to improve,” he says.
Favorites:
• Subject: History
• Food: Steak
• Team: Atlanta Braves
• Player: Chipper Jones
• Person to meet: Chipper Jones
• Place to travel: Arkansas to hunt
• Superpower: Fly
• Inspiration: Father
Junior Spotlight/Coastal Georgia/May 2014
Blakely Brown
Statesboro High School
Statesboro, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Blue Devils hurler headed to University of Georgia in 2015
