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Q&A With Class of 2014 OF Brady Newland (Liberty HS)

February 28, 2013

Class of 2014 OF Brady Newland saw plenty of action last season as a sophomore on a veteran LibertyHigh School team that took 3rd place in the Class 4 state championship. After getting his feet wet as a starter, Newland looks to be an integral part of Liberty's quest to a 3rd consecutive final four appearance, and their first state championship since 2002.

Through two PBR events over the last year, Newland has shown progression in his ability. Recently at the Kansas City Preseason Showcase,the 6-foot-1, 165-pound Newland exhibited a strong arm (83 mph) with all throws on a line and on target from the outfield. He moves with fluidity and purpose to the ball, and has a clean exchange playing through the ball. At the plate, Newland has good rhythm and a balanced stance while taking a quick path to the ball. His swing plane stays level through the zone delivering gap-to-gap line drives. As Newland continues to fill out his frame, he should develop a little more power and drive the ball with more authority.

We recently caught up with Newland to get his thoughts as the season approaches:
PBR: What do you expect going into your junior season? 
Newland: 2013 will be my junior season, and I expect that our team will be competitive and hungry.  There are some fantastic teams in the metro, and we have a very tough schedule, so we know it will be very challenging to do what the 2011 and 2012 teams accomplished.

PBR: What is your biggest strength as a player? 
Newland: I feel like my biggest strengths are my range and instincts in the outfield, as well as my competitive nature and willingness to do whatever it takes for my team.

PBR: What aspect of your game do you believe needs the most improvement?  
Newland: I believe my game can improve in my overall strength and development as a hitter.  My entire off-season has been dedicated to working on these areas.

PBR: What are your expectations and experiences in the recruiting process? 
Newland: My expectations are that it will be a fun process to look at different programs and discuss opportunities for a baseball future at the college level.  My experiences have been attending several showcase camps and visiting with college coaches and players about what it takes to compete for their squads against top competition.

PBR: What type of program would you like to play at? What is most important to you: Caliber of program, coaching staff, academics, etc…? 
Newland: I feel it’s very important that I like the philosophy of the coaching staff, and that the school has the type of major that I’m looking to study.

PBR: What schools are you most interested in right now, and why? 
Newland: Kansas State, Nebraska, Illinois State, Missouri State, Arkansas, and Missouri.  They are all in the Midwest where I’m from, and each has a quality program that it would be an honor to represent on and off the field. 

PBR: What were your personal goals for the 2012 season and were they met? Goals for the 2013 season? 
Newland: My goals for 2012 were to earn a spot on the Liberty varsity team as a sophomore and help the Blue Jays get back to the State Final Four.  Individually I was able to start all 32 games for our team in right field, and with awesome senior leadership we made it back to Springfield, finishing 3rd.  My goal for 2013 is to work extremely hard to contribute in the field and at the plate so we can have another successful year.

PBR: What team do you play for in the summer?
Newland: I am currently exploring my options, and I hope to know in the near future what team I will compete with in the summer.

PBR: Who is the toughest pitcher/hitter that you have faced? 
Newland: The toughest pitcher I have faced is Jeremy Mansur (Ray-Pec 2012).  He’s a complete pitcher with a powerful fast ball, solid changeup, and really tough curve ball.  Plus he’s left-handed, which is an added bonus.

PBR: What is your fondest memory or highlight from your 2012 baseball season (High School or Summer)? 
Newland: My fondest memory of the 2012 season was celebrating with the team when we won Quarterfinals and knew we were going to State.  All the seniors had told me about how exciting the feeling of relief and accomplishment was, and they were right.

PBR: What is your most memorable moment in baseball so far in your life?
Newland: The 3rd place game at State against Willard is my most memorable moment without a doubt.  We trailed by at least 4 runs three different times in the game, and we were down 15-9 heading to our last at-bat in the bottom of the 7th.  We then went on to score 7 runs to win the game and finish with a 28-4 record.  It was absolutely crazy, but our team believed like we had all season, and we made it happen. 

PBR: You recently attended a PBR Showcase, what are your thoughts on how it will be beneficial to you as you keep moving forward in the recruiting process?
Newland: I think that the PBR Showcases are very important for high school players going through the recruiting process, because they give us a chance to get information and video out about our abilities to hundreds of college programs around the country.  There are a lot of scouting sites out there and showcases that we can attend, so it’s a challenge to pick which one we should go to, but the PBR ones are great because they spend time getting to know each of us, they give us feedback, and they also work hard to help us accomplish our dream of playing baseball at the next level.

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