SE: Will Brennan Ready to Take Three Years’ Worth of Lessons from K-State to Professional Baseball
Jun 10, 2019 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Will Brennan did not get drafted out of high school.
Not after being named the 6A Kansas Co-Player of the Year and playing in the 2016 Kansas All-Star Game. Not after being named First Team All-State and to the Eastern Kansas League's First Team as an outfielder. Not after hitting .503 as a senior.
It might have been the best thing to happen to the Blue Valley High School product, to go under the radar and be overlooked. It led the Stilwell native to K-State, where, after three impressive seasons, he was selected in the eighth round, No. 250 overall by the Cleveland Indians in the MLB First-Year Player Draft last Tuesday.
"It was definitely a childhood dream. Everyone wants to play in the major leagues, and you kind of change that approach once you get older because you have to set realistic expectations," Brennan said. "High school came around and I didn't get drafted, and then I made the best decision of my life to go to Kansas State, developed as a player and as a human being, received another opportunity and took advantage of it."
Brennan said he benefitted from being at K-State in a number of ways.
He started by pointing out the gains he made in the weight room working with assistant strength and conditioning coach Josh Cyr. Brennan added that even playing for two different coaching staffs in three years can be a positive going into the professional baseball, where managers and staff changes are frequent.
"You want diversity in your game," he said, "so you (try to) learn a ton from them."
From the beginning, Brennan applied those lessons pretty rapidly.
His .350 average in 2017 broke a 40-plus-year-old program record for a freshman. It earned him a Second Team All-Big 12 nod, along with a Freshman All-America honor. As a sophomore, Brennan was named First Team All-Big 12 after he led K-State in batting average (.359), hits (79), doubles (13), runs (49) and on-base percentage (.454), along with recording a team-low ERA on the mound in conference play.
A Preseason All-Big 12 selection this past season under a new coaching staff led by Pete Hughes, Brennan's power jumped significantly. After two seasons with zero home runs, he blasted four as a junior while driving in a career-best 32 runs. He also remained the one of the toughest batters in the country to strike out. He was fanned only 12 times in 223 at-bats. Put another way, he struck out once every 18.6 at-bats, a mark that led the nation.
"In the three years you basically become wiser," Brennan said. "Then, you just feel like you're ready to go out and capture that dream."
Brennan said he feels especially ready because of Hughes and his staff.
In the pre-draft process, the talented outfielder said he leaned heavily on assistant coach Austin Wates, a former third-round draft pick who made it to the Triple-A level multiple times. Wates also served as a professional scout before coming to K-State.
"He knows the inside and out of pro ball," Brennan said of Wates. "He just said, 'No matter where you go, you're a good player and you deserve this. You just always have to remember that.' He said, 'It's going to be a grind, but I think you're going to love it.'"
This past season gave Brennan a taste of what that grind can look like at times. While his .291 average was lower than he would have liked, he said the experience of battling through it could prove valuable moving forward.
"I had a lot of success my first two years, and I kind of struggled this year. You have to be able to handle that and make adjustments, and that's what Coach Wates, Coach Hughes and Coach (Cord "Buck") Taylor did for me," Brennan said. "They basically forced me to make adjustments on the fly: 'Hey, you have to figure this out. We'll be here for you, but you have to figure this out because you have bigger things ahead.' They make you better."
Brennan, a two-time captain for the Wildcats, hopes he did the same for K-State's program.
"I just wanted to change the culture," he said. "I want this place to get back to where it was at in 2013 and in 2009 when they were going to Regionals. I'm leaving with that legacy that we can return to that. I think they're in really good hands."
As for his future, Brennan will soon fly out to Arizona to find out where and at what level his professional career will begin.
"I'm super excited. I don't know how to put it into words, really, but it's every kid's dream to get paid for playing a game," he said. "I'm going to take full advantage of it and go into pro ball like a sponge, learn all that I can and try to progress through their organization."
Will Brennan did not get drafted out of high school.
Not after being named the 6A Kansas Co-Player of the Year and playing in the 2016 Kansas All-Star Game. Not after being named First Team All-State and to the Eastern Kansas League's First Team as an outfielder. Not after hitting .503 as a senior.
It might have been the best thing to happen to the Blue Valley High School product, to go under the radar and be overlooked. It led the Stilwell native to K-State, where, after three impressive seasons, he was selected in the eighth round, No. 250 overall by the Cleveland Indians in the MLB First-Year Player Draft last Tuesday.
"It was definitely a childhood dream. Everyone wants to play in the major leagues, and you kind of change that approach once you get older because you have to set realistic expectations," Brennan said. "High school came around and I didn't get drafted, and then I made the best decision of my life to go to Kansas State, developed as a player and as a human being, received another opportunity and took advantage of it."
Brennan said he benefitted from being at K-State in a number of ways.
He started by pointing out the gains he made in the weight room working with assistant strength and conditioning coach Josh Cyr. Brennan added that even playing for two different coaching staffs in three years can be a positive going into the professional baseball, where managers and staff changes are frequent.
"You want diversity in your game," he said, "so you (try to) learn a ton from them."
From the beginning, Brennan applied those lessons pretty rapidly.
His .350 average in 2017 broke a 40-plus-year-old program record for a freshman. It earned him a Second Team All-Big 12 nod, along with a Freshman All-America honor. As a sophomore, Brennan was named First Team All-Big 12 after he led K-State in batting average (.359), hits (79), doubles (13), runs (49) and on-base percentage (.454), along with recording a team-low ERA on the mound in conference play.
A Preseason All-Big 12 selection this past season under a new coaching staff led by Pete Hughes, Brennan's power jumped significantly. After two seasons with zero home runs, he blasted four as a junior while driving in a career-best 32 runs. He also remained the one of the toughest batters in the country to strike out. He was fanned only 12 times in 223 at-bats. Put another way, he struck out once every 18.6 at-bats, a mark that led the nation.
"In the three years you basically become wiser," Brennan said. "Then, you just feel like you're ready to go out and capture that dream."
Brennan said he feels especially ready because of Hughes and his staff.
In the pre-draft process, the talented outfielder said he leaned heavily on assistant coach Austin Wates, a former third-round draft pick who made it to the Triple-A level multiple times. Wates also served as a professional scout before coming to K-State.
"He knows the inside and out of pro ball," Brennan said of Wates. "He just said, 'No matter where you go, you're a good player and you deserve this. You just always have to remember that.' He said, 'It's going to be a grind, but I think you're going to love it.'"
This past season gave Brennan a taste of what that grind can look like at times. While his .291 average was lower than he would have liked, he said the experience of battling through it could prove valuable moving forward.
"I had a lot of success my first two years, and I kind of struggled this year. You have to be able to handle that and make adjustments, and that's what Coach Wates, Coach Hughes and Coach (Cord "Buck") Taylor did for me," Brennan said. "They basically forced me to make adjustments on the fly: 'Hey, you have to figure this out. We'll be here for you, but you have to figure this out because you have bigger things ahead.' They make you better."
Brennan, a two-time captain for the Wildcats, hopes he did the same for K-State's program.
"I just wanted to change the culture," he said. "I want this place to get back to where it was at in 2013 and in 2009 when they were going to Regionals. I'm leaving with that legacy that we can return to that. I think they're in really good hands."
As for his future, Brennan will soon fly out to Arizona to find out where and at what level his professional career will begin.
"I'm super excited. I don't know how to put it into words, really, but it's every kid's dream to get paid for playing a game," he said. "I'm going to take full advantage of it and go into pro ball like a sponge, learn all that I can and try to progress through their organization."
Players Mentioned
OF/LHP
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