Brown Ready For 'Fun Time' At Oklahoma State

CARLISLE, Ontario - It took a month to consider, but Matt Brown finally made a decision.

“I called them and said I wanted to be a Cowboy,” the top-rated junior right-handed pitcher in Ontario reflected on his commitment to Oklahoma State.

A three-inning outing in late September when Brown topped at 92 got the attention of Oklahoma State.

“They like my size and where I’m at now, but they said they want to see what I can do in the next two years,” related the 6-5 185-pounder. “I’ve got a couple more pounds to put on me but they like that I can really throw it. They like the pitches I have and the confidence I have on the mound.”

The Waterdown District High School junior grew an attachment to the Big 12 Conference university during calls with pitching coach Rob Walton.

“He’s a good guy,” the 274th-ranked junior in North America noted. “He showed me videos with pictures of the campus and I loved everything about it. The facilities are amazing. Another thing is the all-around sports atmosphere there. It’s been a dream I’ve had as a kid to go to a school like that.”

It brought an end to a recruiting process that included interest from schools like Michigan and Alabama before Brown decided “Oklahoma State was the place for me” and with it a commitment was made.

“It started at the Future Games, that was my first big opportunity to showcase my talent in front of a lot of guys,” related Brown, who drew recognition for his performance from Dylan Hefflinger (PBR Canada Editor in Chief/Scout) on his Elite 25 list of players as well as Shooter Hunt (PBR vice president of scouting) for being one of the top pitchers at the event. “The stressful part of it all for me was trying to talk to schools while trying to get better. Balancing all the calls was scary sometimes but it all worked out in the end.”

It was only a year ago that the second-rated 2024 in Ontario even began thinking about playing at the next level.

“I’ve been playing baseball my whole life in a small town, but I took the jump to OBJ and that opened my eyes to what’s next in the sport,” Brown said in reference to joining his current travel team after growing up playing in Milton, a city a little less than an hour west of Toronto.

Ironically, the opportunity to join the Ontario Blue Jays’ organization nearly didn’t happen.

“It was the last game of the season and we were in Ottawa,” Brown explained. “I wasn’t planning on pitching, but coach said you’re going to pitch. I wasn’t even sure at that point if I was playing next year, I wasn’t getting any looks or seeing any looks.”

However, Brown did enough in that outing to make an important impression.

“Going into the sixth or seventh I was near 110 pitches and been sitting at the same velocity the whole game,” Brown reflected back on the game. “Coach came out with two outs and I really wanted to finish the inning. The coach from OBJ was there and saw the determination and effort in me. After the game he said we’d love to have you. Honestly, if it wasn’t for pitching in that game I may not be where I’m at. When I made the jump to the Ontario Blue Jays it was big.”

Improvement came with the move.

“It was all about coming in every day with the same attitude, I’ve got to get better every day,” Brown explained. “I had only two pitches and only one worked, so I started working on a slider and curve. The last few months I’ve been working on a sinker and that’s become my best pitch.”

It has the 91st-ranked junior in North America - who credited his parents for helping “get me to all the places where I wanted to be” - excited about what he can provide an Oklahoma State program that has been to the NCAA Tournament nine consecutive seasons.

“I’ll bring a lot of grit and hard work every day trying to get better,” Brown pointed out. “I have a good presence on the mound and will do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

Brown, who turned 17 a little more than a month ago, admits a commitment to a university that is a 15-hour drive or two-hour flight from home is still hard to fathom.

“It’s a dream come true,” Brown said. “Getting that call out of the way, I realized I’ve come a long way with all the hard work that went into it.”

Business, sports agency and sports marketing are all being considered as majors for Brown, a 3.7 student ready for college life at Oklahoma State.

“The atmosphere at the next level is something I’ve not experienced yet,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a blast. I know it will be hard, but I can’t wait for the fans to come to every game. It’s going to be a fun time.”