Summer Ball Q&A: Junior Outfielder Cody Brown
August 05, 2015 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - For the months of July and August, HailState.com will interview select Mississippi State baseball players competing across the country in summer leagues. Rising junior Cody Brown is currently playing for the Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Brown led his squad to the CRCBL League Championship Series, where he hit .444 (8 for 18) with four RBIs, four doubles, four runs, three walks and a stolen base.
For more information on Brown' summer, follow the program on Twitter, like the team on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for “HailStateBB.” You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”
CODY BROWN Q&A
Q: What are some areas the MSU coaching staff wants you to improve upon this summer?
A: They told me to work on enhancing my swing and improve on running the bases. They want me to be more of a base stealer and I am looking forward to getting the opportunity to do that this year.
Q: How is your experience this summer going to make you a better player for 2016?
A: It is making me a better player because when so many different styles of play come together, you can learn from other players. It gives me the opportunity to talk to these guys and get to know their strategy and mindset. Every time I step in the box, I can remember something someone here told me and it will help me down the line.
Q: How does the talent level in your league compare to the Southeastern Conference?
A: The talent in this league is great. I do not think any league compares to the talent in the SEC, but this league has great players. From top to bottom, the lineups in the SEC are tough to match. The depth and the pitching are unmatched around the country.
Q: What is it like being a CRCBL All-Star for the second straight year?
A: It is a great honor. There are a lot of great players in this league and being named to the All-Star team two years in a row is really special.
Q: What experience did you gain making it all the way to the CRCBL Championship Series with the Big Train?
A: A lot of people do not think the postseason in summer ball is competitive, but in this league it is a very big deal. We played the Baltimore Redbirds in the finals the past two seasons. When we played them, it felt like another SEC weekend series fighting for a spot in Omaha. It is competitive and I like that. It helps prepare you mentally for the spring.
Q: What is the atmosphere where you are at right now compared to Dudy Noble Field?
A: It is definitely more relaxed. There are not as many fans, although we do get fans here in Bethesda. Nothing can beat the atmosphere at Mississippi State, so you have to motivate yourself each game to stay on top of things.
Q: What is a typical day like in summer league?
A: I wake up at 8 a.m. and work as a summer camp counselor teaching children the game I love. I get off around 3 p.m. and have about 90 minutes until I head to the field for the game. We take batting practice, followed by the game. We leave the field around 10 p.m. every night.
Q: Do you have a host family? Describe that experience?
A: It is great. I am staying with the same family I stayed with last year. They have brought me in and have made me feel like one of their own.
Q: What is the coolest thing you have done this summer?
A: I was able to go to an indoor trampoline place and pretend I was Michael Jordan dunking from the free throw line. The whole building was like a big trampoline basically. They had basketball courts and dodgeball courts. That was definitely the coolest thing I have gotten to do this summer.
Q: What is different in your part of the country compared to Mississippi?
A: The heat is not as bad here. It is still hot, but the humidity is not as bad. I would say the traffic is pretty bad too. I miss the lack of traffic in Starkville.
Q: What are the team goals for the 2016 season?
A: Of course some of our team goals are to win championships. When you break it down, we want to be more competitive as a whole. We have to battle during each and every pitch. We cannot take a day off. We must come to the park every single day ready to play. If we do that, we will put ourselves in the best possible opportunity to win.
Q: What are your personal goals for the 2016 season?
A: I would like to become a better base stealer. I want to hit with a little more power. I would like to be more of a leader. I have to put more pressure on myself so I can take it off of some of the younger guys. I need to be a guy the younger players can look up to.
Q: Which SEC series are you looking forward to the most in 2016 and why?
A: Vanderbilt is our first SEC series so I'm pumped about going there. They have been to the College World Series finals in Omaha in back-to-back years so I am looking forward to facing them right off the bat. We respect them as a program and I am excited to see where we stand against them.
Q: Who do you think is going to be a breakout player for MSU in 2016?
A: I definitely believe it will be Brent Rooker. He has mashed in summer ball and I am looking forward to getting him back to Starkville. He has been working on his swing and putting the time in to make sure he gets better. I am really excited to see what he can do, because he has all the tools to be great. From the looks of it, he has figured some things out and I am excited to see what he can do this year.
