by Vinny Messana
Speaking in front of a crowd of 900 people was an environment that Brian Morrell was not completely comfortable in.
Maybe it would’ve helped if the camera man was holding a baseball from 60’6″ away, though, because that is one setting that did not faze the junior from Shoreham-Wading River one bit this season.
In fact, he smacked a 420 ft HR in the Class A semifinals against Rocky Point that hasn’t landed yet in front of a crowd much larger than that.
Morrell poses with the coveted hardware
The University of Notre Dame-commit was awarded the coveted Carl Yastrzemski Award tonight at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook, NY–becoming the third winner from his high school, behind his mentor Keith Osik in 1987 and 2016 MLB Draft pick Mike O’Reilly in 2012.
The junior terrorized pitchers all season, batting .405 while leading Long Island (high school and college) with 12 HR, he led high school hitters with 28 RBI. He scored 30 runs, had 30 hits and was also a force on the mound as he compiled a 5-1 record, 1.13 ERA with 94 Ks over 49 IP.
“Such a great feeling–it’s special,” he said. “Winning this award–knowing the guys who have gotten it, it’s an elite group. I’m truly honored,” he added.
While many people believe the award should be reserved for players in the Class AA schools, due to the competitive nature of Leagues I through V, Morrell overcame that prejudice by completely dominating the opposition this season and winning the League VII MVP.
Entering the season he was already a two-time All-State player and he is guaranteed to add a third to his mantle.
By facing lesser competition, does he feel he needs to compensate for that by working harder?
“Of course,” he said. “I gotta work double as hard because those guys have it a little bit tougher playing in those leagues but I felt like I did good,” he added.
That is quite the understatement.
Morrell put fear in opposing pitchers rarely seen. His Head Coach Kevin Willi told me earlier in the season that coaches tell him all the time they don’t know what to throw him.
As for next year, they will probably be better off not pitching to him. Unfortunately, they will have to face him when he pitches and that is no cakewalk either.
Until then, the Notre Dame-commit stated that he will work hard this summer on improving his game while playing for the Body Armor Titans.
Don’t be surprised if you hear his name in next year’s MLB Draft–the only question is will it begin with shortstop or right-handed pitcher?
