It can sometimes be difficult to follow in the footsteps of an older sibling, but in the case of Smackover’s Chase Brumley, he is following exactly the path his older brother has taken.
Baylor Brumley was a two-way standout at Smackover before heading to Henderson State as a pitcher.
Now Chase is doing the same. Earlier this week, Brumley signed with the Reddies, who will be starting play in the NCAA Tournament today against Northeastern State in Magnolia.
“My brother went there two years ago, and he really enjoys it,” Brumley said of his college decision. “I went up there for a camp and played fall ball there. I liked the coaches. They seemed real nice. They have a good team there.”
Smackover has developed a bit of a pipeline with the Reddies over the years, and coach Josh Wesson was pleased to see that trend continue.
“We are really excited that Chase signed to play ball at Henderson State,” Wesson said. “He set a goal of being a college baseball player and we are really proud of him for accomplishing that goal. He has worked extremely hard and he earned the chance to play at the next level.
“By him signing with HSU, it reflects well for our program. There are some people out there that still think you have to go to a big school to be seen or earn a scholarship and that’s simply not the case.
“There have been several players come out of Smackover and go on to play at the next level. With Chase signing with Henderson, that now makes four former Bucks that will be on HSU’s roster next season.
“As a Reddie baseball alum, I’m thrilled with that and can’t wait to follow their careers. From a program standpoint, Chase showed the underclassmen that if you do everything the right way and work your tail off, then you can accomplish any goal you set. We are extremely happy for Chase and ready to see what he can do at the next level.”
As far as what influence his older brother may have had, Brumley said there was some.
“I really wasn’t sure where I wanted to go to college because I was just mainly thinking about baseball,” Brumley said. “If I could a find a JUCO that wanted me, I was probably going to go there, but he talked to the coaches, and they said they liked me, so I guess he influenced me a little bit.”
Brumley said he had heard from National Park, but getting the opportunity to develop at a four-year school was something that appealed to him.
“I was thinking if I could go to a junior college and get some more experience, I might do better at transferring to a four-year, but I liked that I could go to a four-year and they could develop me to how they needed to,” Brumley said.
In addition to his older brother being on campus, Brumley also signed up to play fall baseball last year at Henderson State.
“They get a bunch of high school kids, and they’ll come up there and split each other into teams,” Brumley said.
Brumley also shines in the classroom, finishing 11th in Smackover’s graduating class.
When asked who was his biggest influence on making sure he was hitting the books, Brumley said it was his parents.
“They really wanted me to have good grades and graduate with good grades,” he said.
Brumley added that he wasn’t sure on what he wanted to study at Henderson State, but that business was a possibility.
As far as having to juggle sports with his classroom work, Brumley said there were many late nights of having to get school work done.
“Most of the time, it wasn’t too bad, but there were some times where we would get back late from games and it was kind of a struggle to want to really study hard the next day and get good grades,” Brumley said.
Injuries slowed Brumley in his senior year.
On the mound, he threw only 38 1/3 innings, although he racked up 54 strikeouts while posting a 2.58 ERA and a 2-4 record. At the plate, he hit. 286.
“Before we even started the season, I was having some back issues,” Brumley said. “I was hoping that it would go away. The first few games, my back didn’t really bother me a whole lot, but I ended up hurting it a lot worse. I had to sit out two or three games. Finally, I was able to get back into it, but it still hurt. I ended up having a fracture in my L3 (vertebrae), but I was still trying to play and taking it easy. I got to pitch and mainly DH most of the time. I didn’t get to play in the field much. I felt like I was doing my best to help out the team pitching-wise and hitting-wise.”
Brumley got healthier at the end of the year, picking up both of his wins while registering 27 strikeouts in 18 innings.
“It probably hurt more pitching because it would prevent me from bending over and reaching down trying to really get in the strike zone,” Brumley said of whether the injury hurt more when he pitched or swung the bat. “It pulled on that side. I didn’t feel too good sometimes.”
Brumley said he is taking the summer off from baseball in order for the injury to heal so he can hit the ground running when fall practices start at Henderson State.
“We’re hoping that it will heal this summer,” Brumley said. “I’m taking a break from summer ball and rest so hopefully it will heal on its own so I don’t have a to get a medical redshirt.”
Although Smackover hasn’t qualified for the state tournament since 2017, Brumley was a rotation stalwart for the Bucks.
“Coach Wesson likes to call me a good team leader, but I’m not real vocal. I just try to set an example of how they need to act in practice and in a game,” Brumley said.
Wesson said Brumley made a major impact on Smackover’s program.
“Chase had a huge impact on the Smackover baseball program,” Wesson said. “He’s one of those young men that you want representing your community, district, and baseball program. He’s a great leader both on and off the field and overall just a special young man.
“He will be greatly missed, but he’s done such a great job of laying that positive foundation for the underclassmen. We are all so proud of him and happy for his family. He will get to play college ball with his big brother and that’s pretty special. We wish Chase the best and we know he will represent our program the right way.”