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Brian Read made quite an impact on the local prep baseball scene when he enjoyed a successful sophomore year at Truman High School.
He followed that season up with an even more impressive junior campaign, hitting .425 with a .500-plus on-base percentage in 2011. On the mound, he was 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA, and this weekend, he will join a handful of other area standouts in McAlester, Okla., where they will represent Team Missouri in the annual Jr. Sunbelt Classic. The team left today and will practice in Branson, Mo., before starting play Friday.
“It’s really a pretty big deal to make this team,” said Missouri coach Richard Wood, who is the former baseball coach at Blue Springs South High School.
“We have tryouts in Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis and pick 20 players out of more than 100 who try out. If you make the team, you really are one of the best players in the state.”
And those players have a good chance of getting some scholarship offers at the tournament.
“I’m pretty excited about this weekend,” said Read, who will be joined by Taylor Cross of Blue Springs High School and Blue Springs South’s Austin Holland and Matt Olsen.
“It’s going to be fun to play with some of the best players from our state against some of the best players from other states. They say you look in the stands and all you see are radar guns and people with notebooks. I can’t wait.”
Read hopes to leave McAlester with a scholarship offer.
“My dream would be to get a scholarship offer from a school I’d really like to attend,” Read said. “The other day I was talking with (Truman basketball standout) Zach Large about scholarships and summer leagues, and he was talking about getting a scholarship before his senior year so he could go out and enjoy his final year in high school and not worry about where he was going.
“I’m hoping that happens for me this weekend. You never know what’s going to happen. I’d like to get a scholarship with a team in the south. I’d love to play year round. The players in the South have such a huge advantage because we’re battling blizzards in Missouri, and they’re playing ball.”
Following the McAlester Jr. Sunbelt Classic, Read is going to drive to Manhattan, Kan., for a Kansas State baseball showcase.
Brian Read made quite an impact on the local prep baseball scene when he enjoyed a successful sophomore year at Truman High School.
He followed that season up with an even more impressive junior campaign, hitting .425 with a .500-plus on-base percentage in 2011. On the mound, he was 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA, and this weekend, he will join a handful of other area standouts in McAlester, Okla., where they will represent Team Missouri in the annual Jr. Sunbelt Classic. The team left today and will practice in Branson, Mo., before starting play Friday.
“It’s really a pretty big deal to make this team,” said Missouri coach Richard Wood, who is the former baseball coach at Blue Springs South High School.
“We have tryouts in Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis and pick 20 players out of more than 100 who try out. If you make the team, you really are one of the best players in the state.”
And those players have a good chance of getting some scholarship offers at the tournament.
“I’m pretty excited about this weekend,” said Read, who will be joined by Taylor Cross of Blue Springs High School and Blue Springs South’s Austin Holland and Matt Olsen.
“It’s going to be fun to play with some of the best players from our state against some of the best players from other states. They say you look in the stands and all you see are radar guns and people with notebooks. I can’t wait.”
Read hopes to leave McAlester with a scholarship offer.
“My dream would be to get a scholarship offer from a school I’d really like to attend,” Read said. “The other day I was talking with (Truman basketball standout) Zach Large about scholarships and summer leagues, and he was talking about getting a scholarship before his senior year so he could go out and enjoy his final year in high school and not worry about where he was going.
“I’m hoping that happens for me this weekend. You never know what’s going to happen. I’d like to get a scholarship with a team in the south. I’d love to play year round. The players in the South have such a huge advantage because we’re battling blizzards in Missouri, and they’re playing ball.”
Following the McAlester Jr. Sunbelt Classic, Read is going to drive to Manhattan, Kan., for a Kansas State baseball showcase.
“A lot of driving and a lot of baseball,” Read said chuckling, “but it’s going to be worth it. The more coaches and scouts who see me play, the better my chance of getting a scholarship.”
Read, Cross, Holland, Olsen and their Missouri teammates will play 10 games over six days against teams representing nine states and Canada.
“It really is a great tournament,” said Wood, whose 2007 team was the first Missouri squad to ever win the championship.
“We’ve taken some great kids from the area and from the state to McAlester,” Wood said. “It really is the perfect showcase because so many college scouts are there because they know they’re seeing some of the best players in the state all at one site.”
