Pepperdine baseball’s Brian Humphries junior had four key RBI’s in the Waves’ opening weekend sweep of the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels. This impressive offensive performance helped to validate the center fielder’s nomination to a prestigious position on the WCC preseason all- conference team. He has since settled into his role as the Waves’ starting centerfielder.
Humphries and the Waves are looking to build on these positives in order to pave the way to a successful season. Humphries is also working to continue improving his skills in the hopes of eventually being drafted by an MLB team all while helping the Waves to a berth in the College World Series in Omaha a feat they have only accomplished twice (the last of which resulting in winning the 1992 National Championship).
Discussing his nomination to the WCC preseason team Humphries said that “It’s an honor to be named one of the top players in the conference and it is up to me now to prove that I am deserving of the recognition.”
He believes his nomination is reflective of his drive to always do what it takes to help the team. He sees that as one of his most important qualities and this team–oriented mindset as something that can really make him valuable in the Major Leagues.
“My parents put me in T-ball when I was five years old and ever since playing professional baseball has been my dream Humphries said. Throughout his younger years in baseball, Humphries has always focused on being a team player, but he played with some groups in high school that didn’t really mesh well as a team, he said.
I decided to come to Pepperdine because I really felt a calling to attend. I could have gone a lot of other places but the atmosphere at Pepperdine was really what made me feel that this was the place that I should be at Humphries said.
He attributes a lot of his and the team’s success to the long and arduous preseason practice that has not only made individual players stronger, but also tightened the bonds of the team. Specifically, the workouts put together by the new strength and conditioning coach, Matt Young, have been very helpful, according to Humphries.
The workouts have helped me to work on my arm strength as well as my speed Humphries said, Now I just have more tools to work with. Speed never slumps; it’s one more way I can contribute to any team I’m playing on if I’m having a bad day.”
Humphries has seen Young’s workouts helping the rest of the team as well. “He has been a big advocate of us cheering together. He put the idea in us that we need to fight for each other and if we do it in the weight room then we will do it on the field.”
This increased sense of camaraderie has manifested itself in an even tighter-knit team than in previous years said Humphries. “We are like 35 brothers; we have the ability to work out our own problems. Other teams I played on before I came to Pepperdine had many more cliques and conflicts. This [Pepperdine] team doesn’t have that problem and it’s the closest team of the three [teams] I have been on.”
As a strongly team-oriented player Humphries believes his skills will be able to translate very well to the professional level.
“I feel that i can help a major league team in many ways. I will always give maximum effort and do whatever it takes to win. The MLB is all about winning so doing whatever it takes is a very important attribute Humphries said.
The Waves are also looking to combine their team chemistry with strong individual performances in order to make it to Omaha to play in the College World Series. That’s really the most important goal for the season and the first step for that is getting a regional bid by winning conference Humphries said.
Improving his skills this year and showing them off positively to professional scouts on the way to a post-season in Omaha would make the season a success for in his eyes. My goal since I was five was to get drafted into the MLB and to do that I need to be as good as possible.”
