By Mike Penn
Director of Scouting 

Brett Garwood, C/INF, Dexter HS, 2013 

Garwood is an exceptionally hard worker and team player.  He has steadily improved over the past few years and turned himself into a college baseball player.  In addition to this, Garwood is an outstanding student.  Here is what Garwood had to say about his decision:

PBR:  Where have you decided to attend college and why did you make this choice?
Garwood:  I have decided to attend Kalamazoo College. I made this choice because after visiting and learning about the school and baseball program, I knew it was a great fit for me, both academically and athletically.

PBR:  What other schools were you considering?
Garwood:  I also considered the College of Wooster, Kenyon and Denison. While each is an excellent school, in the end I felt the opportunity to play baseball at K-College under the new direction of Coach Ott was one I had to take advantage of. I really appreciated the passion and knowledge which Coach Ott showed towards turning the program into a strong force within the conference and the region.

PBR:  Was distance from home a factor in your decision?
Garwood: Distance was not a factor in my decision. I was most concerned about finding a college that supported my goals best, no matter where it was located. My parents gave me their full support to explore colleges all over the country.

PBR:  Where did the coaches first see you?  How did you relationship develop with their coaching staff?
Garwood:  The coaches first saw me play at the Michigan High School Baseball Showcase in Grosse Pointe, Michigan over the summer. Shortly after this showcase, I received an email from Coach Ott and I proceeded to visit the school. Coach Ott and Coach Drake have done a great job communicating with me, and we were constantly in touch throughout the fall. This communication and information has allowed a relationship between us to develop easily.

PBR:  What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?
Garwood: Coach Ott expects me to be an immediate impact player providing solid defense behind the plate and contributing offensively with a consistent bat.

PBR:  What is your biggest strength as a player and how do you feel that will help your team?
Garwood: I always commit myself to support each of my teammates, as I feel we should support each other and push one another to always be improving our baseball skills. I feel that having good relationships with your teammates helps everyone to improve various aspects of their game so we can all contribute even further to the team’s goals.

PBR:  Who do you play for in the summer and what was your most memorable experience from this past summer?
Garwood: I played for the DBA Rays last summer, under Head Coach Matt Seidl. Early in the summer, we were playing at a Past Time Tournament at Butler University and were competing in the Championship game. The game went eleven innings and we ended up losing. Even though we lost, I had never caught a game where there was so much intensity right up to the last play in so many extra innings. It was very exciting and enjoyable to me.

PBR:  Now that you have your commitment out of the way, what are your goals both individually and for the team going into your senior season?
Garwood: Individually, I plan to continue with my focused off season workouts and training so that when the season begins, I am ready to compete. Specifically, I am working to improve my overall strength, as well as some speed/agility work. For my high school team, I am hoping we can make it back to the Regional Championship game, and win this year to advance to the State Tournament.