By Billy Findley
Sports Editor
“Let me pray about it,” was the response of Bryan Lions catcher Jon Brown upon receiving a request to be interviewed for a “Triangle” article. He’s no fan of being in the spotlight, and he’s certainly not one to take credit for anything without acknowledging the help he’s received from others around him. He’s also a “hard-nosed” baseball player “committed to excellence,” according to Head Baseball Coach Taylor Hasty.
A senior this year, Brown has experienced both the highs and the lows of a college baseball career. He started out as a redshirt for the Tennessee Wesleyan College Bulldogs (Athens, Tenn.). He came to Bryan four years ago and during his time here, he said he’s not only grown as an athlete, but has had a huge change in perspective as a teammate.
Brown said he started playing baseball when he was 6. He grew up in Franklin, N.C., with three sisters, one older and two younger. His father was employed in a wood products industry, and both his parents were Christians.
“My Dad was an extremely hard worker and had to work many long hours just to keep our family afloat sometimes,” Brown said. “Faith was more than just a lifestyle. It was a reality for us.”
While he struggled with dyslexia growing up, a condition he still battles to this day, Brown said he worked hard at baseball and had high ambitions as a young man. Throughout middle school and high school, he had a goal of becoming a professional baseball player. However, his aspirations began to shift in college when he learned the rigorous amounts of work becoming a professional player would require. He also was conflicted regarding his faith in Christ during his high school years and his freshman year at Tennessee Wesleyan.
“I went to Tennessee Wesleyan because they offered the best scholarships,” Brown said.
However, during his time there he said he was drawn to Bryan because of the experiences he had had attending Summit his junior year of high school and the mentoring relationship he had with Summit speaker John Stonestreet. When he came to Bryan, he said he was strongly encouraged in his faith through Dr. Peter Held’s Worldview class and learned to ask questions regarding his faith.
Brown is team captain and one of seven seniors on the varsity baseball team this year.
“Our seniors set the tone for the attitude of the team, and how they respond in certain situations,” Hasty said.
Together, the seniors have seen a lot and made a lot of important decisions regarding the conduct of the baseball team this year, according to Brown. Much of the decision-making has been a result of going through hardships as a team last year, hardships that Brown said he is now grateful for.
“Personally, I think it was better for us,” Brown said referring to last season. “Christ, I think, lost his place for awhile. There’s a lot of apathy and bitterness that comes with losing. When winning is your only focus and you lose, particularly in baseball, it’s hard to maintain a real positive attitude.”
However, the results that came about from last year’s woes are worth the trials, according to Brown.
“We were looking at our stats and playing as individuals and we decided we needed to stop that,” Brown said.
Brown said that he, along with the rest of the seniors, made an agreement before the season started not to tolerate any people who would divide the team. There was also a shift in perspective. Winning became secondary. Good overall baseball playing became primary, along with developing positive relationships between the players and the coaching staff. Brown said there were also changes in what the coaches looked for when recruiting.
With these alterations, the baseball team has literally transformed from an organization struggling to maintain unity, to a team with a winning record in the AAC that cares about each other, according to Brown and Hasty.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing baseball since little league,” Brown said.
Tags: baseball, John Stonestreet, Jon Brown, Taylor Hasty
