Jayden Brown and Braden Christopher had been thinking about playing baseball at the next level for the past couple of years.
Both were in the Class of 2020 at Seymour High School, but like high school athletes across the state, they didn’t get a chance to participate in their favorite sport in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That, however, didn’t interrupt their plans to play college baseball.
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On Sunday, Brown signed to play at Indiana University Southeast and Christopher signed to play at Vincennes University during a ceremony at Chateau de Pique Winery in Seymour.
Both players are going to their respective universities as pitchers.
“I’m going to IU Southeast because they’re good, and I want to be part of a good program,” Brown said. “I wanted to go somewhere where my parents could watch me. The campus is nice, and they have a great program. It seemed like a nice fit.”
Christopher said he was wooed by the Vincennes campus the first time he visited.
“The campus, first off, was really nice,” he said. “The buildings were just amazing. They have a fire science program, which I’m going there to study to become a firefighter. The school came first, and when I met the coaches, they were really cool. I just think they have a good atmosphere there.”
Seymour baseball head coach Jeremy Richey said he feels both players selected good places to continue in baseball at the next level.
“I think that both of them made a great choice,” Richey said. “They are going somewhere that they wanted to attend. I think that both of them are going to go in and compete for innings right away.”
Given that both colleges have done well, it will be a challenge for the Seymour players to break in right away, Richey said.
“They are both joining successful programs, so they are going to have to work really hard to get time, but I think they are both capable of doing that,” he said. “Both of them possess three pitches that are effective. They will need to improve each of them as they take the next step to face college hitters. As with most pitchers moving on to college, they will need to improve their command of those pitches.”
Brown and Christopher both said they believe it takes three or four different pitches in order to be successful.
Brown said his out pitch is probably his change-up.
“The difference between the fastball and the change-up is all in the grip, how you hold the ball,” he said. “You want to keep the same arm slot. The key is get ahead (in the count) and stay ahead.”
Christopher said he has recorded a lot of strikeouts with his curveball and has gained confidence with his change-up.
“Usually, I tried to go with my curveball, but I’ve gotten more comfortable with my change-up,” he said.
Both said they are confident with location of their pitches.
Christopher said his ability to pitch to the catcher’s glove has improved.
“I’ve worked on that this summer, and I have definitely improved on that from last year,” he said. “I just did some practices with some of the other guys.”
Christopher gave up playing basketball for the Owls at the end of his junior season to concentrate on baseball as a senior.
He will enroll at Vincennes Aug. 13 and 14 and hopefully play ball immediately.
“The coach is looking for some local teams to play against,” Christopher said. “We’re at least going to be doing intrasquad games, so we will have a little bit of a fall season. I plan to improve and help the team as much as I can. Hopefully at the end of those two years, I can go on to a different school and play another two years.”
He said he began playing baseball with the Sluggers when he was 6 or 7 and has good memories of playing home games at American Legion Field.
“It was a blast. I loved it,” Christopher said.
He said not getting to play his senior year because of the COVID-19 pandemic was tough.
“But we fought through it. I still continued to work,” he said.
Brown also played basketball for the Owls but had his senior season cut short due to a knee injury. He had surgery and would have been ready for the start of baseball season if there was one.
Brown had the same thought about not getting to play his senior year.
“It was really tough,” he said. “I just love the competition. I’ve been throwing a lot to Alan Perry.”
Brown will enroll in school Aug. 24, and the baseball team has a couple of fall games scheduled.
He said it doesn’t matter if he starts or relieves.
“I just want to get some innings,” he said.
Based on their Seymour showings, Richey said he expects both pitchers to do well in college.
“Jayden and Braden have been constants on the mound for the last couple years,” Richey said. “They have been in our lineup for most of their careers. They were great role models for the younger players through their effort on a daily basis. The improvement they have shown in their career is a reflection of the effort they have put in during the offseason.”