Rams' Colburn, Tornadoes' Brown get head start at baseball season

TUCSON, Ariz. — Brady Colburn and Preston Brown have a jumpstart on the rest of their Bay County brethren this baseball season.

The duo recently competed in the 2012 Under Armour Preseason All-American Tournament at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ spring training complex. They participated in shortened games and showcased skills in front of professional and college scouts.

The added attention and play helped build momentum going into the start of their respective high school seasons in less than a month. Colburn will return to Rutherford’s lineup as a catcher and outfielder. Brown will anchor Bay’s outfield and will see some time on the mound.

Both players were 3 for 7 in the wood-bat tournament, which featured games lasting six innings with only five batters per inning, regardless of outs. Brown scored twice, had two RBIs and a stolen base. Colburn scored three runs and drove in four, while both had two singles and a double.

It was the first time either player picked up a bat and had live competition in months, and both said they enjoyed the experience.

“It was good to be out there and I just was trying to play well, obviously,” Brown said. “It was important to play, so anybody can see my name and especially (important) if you stand out at all.”

Brown said it was a major adjustment to use wooden bats. High-schoolers and college players still use metal bats, with area prep teams switching to the “powered down” models this season.

“It was a big difference, a little bit tougher and a different feel,” Brown said. “The balls don’t go as far. One of the balls I hit would have gone out if I hit it with a metal bat.”

Colburn agreed.

“It was different, the wood bats made you have to hit it on the sweet spot to get a good shot,” Colburn said. “You always made sure to hit everything flush, because if you didn’t it would hurt or you could break the bat.”

Colburn said he was initially nervous competing in front of a bevy of scouts and more than 300 of the nation’s top upcoming junior and senior players. The feeling quickly subsided, however.

“Once you start playing you were good,” Colburn said. “The scouts would give you tips out there and it was about playing baseball and having fun.”

Both players hope to use their experiences to carry over into this season. Bay and Rutherford were two of Bay County’s top teams in 2011 and figure to be the same this year.

“Getting noticed like that makes you want to try even harder and get that much better,” Brown said.

Added Colburn: “The main thing is I’ll bring that momentum and give it to my team and hopefully my team will feed off it for this season.”

The experience also provided a segue into practice for their respective high school teams, which began on Monday. Brown and Colburn both are seniors.