By Jason Avery
News-Times Staff
SMACKOVER - It’s been a rather hectic summer for Smackover standouts Beau Burson and Brennan McKnight.
Not only have they been busy playing with their American Legion teams, but earlier this week, the duo competed in the Xtra Innings Summer Classic.
“It was a great experience for both of them,” said Smackover coach B.J. Greene, who served as a coach for the event.
“For Beau, that was his second year in a row to go to it. It’s a great honor to be selected to it. There were 90 kids there, and it was an incredible atmosphere.
“I think in one day they had 40 or 50 college scouts and 15 pro scouts, so they got to be seen by a lot of people.”
The event gave the duo an idea of where they measure up against the top players from across the state.
“I was talking to the people that run Xtra Innings, and they said this is the best group of kids they’ve had talent-wise come through in probably four or five years,” Greene said.
“It was not only good for Beau and Brennan to be seen by scouts like that, it was good for them to see the level of players that we have around the state.
“We have a ton of baseball talent in Union County, but you can get close-minded to your little area. It’s just a fun atmosphere, especially if you love baseball.
“You can be around a lot of great kids, meet new friends, and who knows, one day down the road, that may be one of your college teammates.”
As far as their performances went, Greene said both fared well.
“They both put the ball in play,” Greene said.
“When you’re in one of those camp-type deals, if you’re putting the ball in play, that’s a positive. Brennan played really well at first base, and Beau was kind of gimped up out in right field, but he got around and caught two fly balls.
“He came in and pitched the last two innings of our last game. I think he topped out at 84 or 85, and his curveball was right around 65.
“He pitched two innings, struck out three and gave up one hit. They ended up scoring a run off an error, so he didn’t give up any earned runs. I think he had a really good outing on the mound. I think they did a really good job, and they represented Smackover and Union County very well.”
Given their performances, Greene expects Burson and McKnight to receive interest from colleges.
“Beau’s got some followers,” Greene said. “He’s got some schools that are looking at him.
“They don’t know if they want him to pitch or play in the outfield and just hit. I talked to one college guy as I was leaving, and he wanted to talk about Beau.
“The thing he liked about Beau is how quick he worked. He’s a position player’s dream because he gets the ball and he’s right back in there. He’s a good ballplayer.
“Brennan’s junior year was the first he got to play. This is all kind of new to him, so I expect people to start calling on Brennan.
“We’ve had some guys at smaller schools call on guys like Brennan, Weston Smith and Clay Stringer already, but we haven’t heard anything immediate.
“I figure by the time school starts, and the early signing period is November 9, so you’ll start hearing from coaches around that time.
“Some Division II schools might try to get a couple of other players first and then see what they have left over at the end to come in and get some players on the back end as well.”