Going into his senior season West Greene’s Brandon Hunter did not know if he was going to have the opportunity to play college baseball, but on Monday afternoon that question was answered when he signed with Bryan College.
“It feels great to sign today. I never thought I would have this chance and here I am signing with Bryan College. It’s sad to see my time at West Greene end, but I’m glad I get to go to a higher level. It’s exciting to know that I get to keep playing baseball.”
Hunter has been a three-year standout for the Buffaloes, after stepping away from the sport three years. He helped the team advance to the region tournament in each of his seasons with the program. This year Hunter led West Greene with a .305 batting average and had five doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs. On the mound Hunter threw 33 innings this season and earned four wins and four saves. He struck out 33 batters and walked 11 with a 3.39 ERA.
Hunter will be joining West Greene teammate Ethan Carpenter at Bryan. Carpenter signed with the Lions earlier this month and the two are excited to stay teammates.
“Me and Ethan had been talking about playing together. He went down there to a camp, and after that I got in contact with the coaches,” Hunter said. “Then after Ethan signed I decided to go with it too. I think it will be great to go down there with someone I know.”
Bryan College is an NAIA school located in Dayton, Tennessee that competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Lions are coming off of a year in which they went 29-25, but finished second in the AAC Tournament and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.
The Lions are led by first-year head coach Jordan Day, who is a 2012 graduate of Bryan. The coaching staff is what mostly drew Hunter to the program.
“I liked that their coaches were up front with me and told me how the process works,” Hunter said. “They told me what I need to do, and that was all I needed to know. I really like the coaches and it felt like a good situation all the way around.”
Hunter knows that it will take a lot of hard work to get on the field at the college level, but he is ready to work and thinks the lessons he learned at West Greene will help him along the way.
“I know I’ll have to take things more serious,” Hunter said. “I know their coaches will push me. Here coach (Adrian Sauceman) gets on us when we don’t do things right, and I’m glad he has done that. I think that has made into the player I am today. Now I’m ready for more challenges.”
He plans to study business in college.
