Brown signs LOI to play baseball for Howard College

Last Wednesday was National Signing Day for High School athletes around the country. Littlefield senior, Chris Brown, inked his National Letter of Intent to continue his baseball and academic career at Howard College in Big Spring.

Brown talked about having this done prior to the 2021 baseball season, saying, “It’s awesome. During high school you’re playing multiple sports and a lot of people don’t see the work you do behind the scenes. But it feels good to have that pay-off and now I can just focus on baseball and get better there and just play.”

He added, “I was able to find a travel team this summer and play a little bit of baseball and get seen there. That really helped me out a lot throughout this process of being seen and getting picked up. It was tough at the time, becauase junior was my year to get seen, that’s why I didn’t play basketball that year, because I was focusing dead on baseball. That got taken away and I was a little bit sad about it, but getting picked up on my travel team and it really took off from there and that helped me out a lot.”

Brown has been a four-year varsity starter for the Wildcats. He was recruited as a pitcher by the Hawks.

“Every year he just gets better and better; pitching, hiting; I’ve been watching him this year and he has even developed more than he was at the end of last year in March,” Mitch McNeese, Littlefield Head Coach said. “He is throwing in the low 90’s and he hits with a lot of power. He is definitely a college athlete, and I’m so proud that he was picked up by Howard College. That is one of the perenial powerhouses for D-I JUCO and is a real stepping stone for anywhere he wants to go past that.”

Brown talked about what the recruting process was like for him, saying, “There were a few other schools interested in me, but what stuck out to me about Howard, was that they showed more interest. They really showed that they wanted me and sent me on a visit there. I really liked it; it was a small little college and seemed simple and I liked it there. I just thought they want me and I like it there, so I feel like it will be a good fit.”

Brown talked about what his contact has been like with the coaching staff at Howard, saying, “They contact me every now and then and ask me how things are going. We talk pretty much just like we are buddies. We talk about anything and everything and I like to talk to them about how baseball is going there and they ask me how I’m doing here.”

The senior talked about what is has been like to be a part of the Wildcat tradition and playing for Coach McNeese, saying, “It’s all about that mental toughness that every coach here talks about. You just have to be able to have the mind to put in the extra work and keep going even when things are rough. When you are down you can’t stop fighing, you just have to keep going and keep fighting.”

Brown talked about some of his favorite memories from his days as a Wildcat, saying, “For one, those Friday Night Lights. That is the first one, those great moments out there with your dudes. Then my freshman year of basketball, winning that gold ball and finally getting to touch one of those things. And then last year during baseball, our last game against Levelland before we got shut down, I hit a walk off homerun. That was an awesome moment.”

Brown talked about the support he has received from his family, saying, “That is one of the main things is that my family knew that I could do it. They’ve always been behind me and my dad pushes me hard. There are times we but heads, but I know he is 100% behind me on it along with the rest of my family. They know that I can do it, so I do it for them.”

Chris’ mom, Shonda Cannon talked about seeing her son be able to continue his career, saying, “It really means a lot to me, because he has worked really, really hard and to see his work come to fruition and him actually get to do something that he has always dreamed of doing is an awesome thing.”

Chris’ dad Chuck Brown added, “It’s awsome. I knew he would, he works hard at it and it means a lot to us. I can’t wait to see him continue on at Howard and maybe even move on to Division I.”

Brown said the thing he is most looking forward to about playing at the next level is he just wants to continue being seen at Howard and try and work his way up to a D-I college or even get drafted into the MLB and work his way up from there.

“I’m just going to continue to put in the work and try to make this last as long as I can,” he stated.

Coach McNeese talked about the kind of player that Howard is getting in Brown, saying, “They’re getting an all-around player; he can play anywhere on the field, first, catcher, pitcher, anywhere. He is good at everything. He is a great all-around athlete; that man has spent a lot of time on the court, on the field, at the baseball field, in the cages to sharpen those things. They’re getting a great athelte with a great attitude that is willing to do whatever is asked and is willing to put in the time to get better.”

Brown said that he wants to major in pre-med and that he wants to get into sports medicine to be a trainer or physical therapist.