Summers overcomes injuries and academics to become SCC ace pitcher

When Brady Summers graduated from Shorewood High School in the spring of 2006, he was a third baseman for the Thunderbird’s baseball team. It never occurred to him that in the spring of 2010, he would be the ace of the Shoreline Community College pitching staff. The journey to this point in his life was long and filled with up and downs, but he has arrived here with determination and the desire to do what is best for the team.

Over the past four years, Brady has battled both academics issues and injuries, both of which have changed the direction of his baseball career and his life. As a freshman at Shoreline CC, Brady ended up playing some as a part-time catcher before an injury that year ended his first college season. He had no way of knowing, that three years would past before he would return to the field and he would be standing 60 feet, 6 inches away from his old position at SCC and looking off the mound instead of up to it.

Summers battled the next two years with academic problems, as his priorities at that point in his life were not where they should be. He also battled some other injuries that kept his motivation down as well. But over time, his priorities changed and as his academics improved, he also gained responsibilities in the SCC Athletic Department as he became the main game management student employee for volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and basketball games. As his academics and responsibilities grew at the college, so did his baseball fortunes, as he was moved to pitcher by SCC baseball coach, Steve Seki and his success on the field began to turn as well.

In the fall of 2009, Brady for the first time made the Academic Athletic Honor Roll at the college as a member of the Green Club (student-athletes with a 3.00 GPA or better).

In the spring of 2010, Brady has a 5-1 record with a 1.94 ERA and has begun to gain interest from four year college baseball programs. Brady has allowed only 15 walks in 45 innings of work with 43 strikeouts. Brady has received interest from colleges across the country to include Morningside College in Iowa, Shawnee State in Ohio and New Mexico Highlands.

Summers has been one of the bright spots this season for Shoreline CC, whose team record is 13-15 after a fast start of 9-1. But in the tough NWAACC Northern Region, the team has faltered to a 4-12 record in the division, but Brady again has proven his worth a 2-1 record in the region with 2 no decisions.

He hopes to continue his career at a four year college next season, but regardless, his desire and determination has won him a lot of friends at the college:

Athletic Director Doug Palmer said: “A lot of student-athletes in Brady’s shoes would have quit after the first or second year. We see student-athletes after an injury or academic trouble leave the college and never come back after a year or two at most, but Brady has showed a true desire to better himself in the classroom and on the field and this is very rare for someone. We have come to count on Brady as a student worker at SCC, he has been the most dependable game worker for us in the time I have been at the college and that speaks a lot about his character. I have been so please to see Brady's development on the field and classroom as well, as he has worked very hard to get to this point in his life and career”.

Story courtesy Douglas W. Palmer
Photos by Wilson Tsoi