Brannon Loves The Baseball Culture At Duke

Bryce Brannon RHP / 1B / Mason, OH / 2024

MASON - A visit to Duke had all that Bryce Brannon expected and more.

“I knew the buildings and facilities would blow me away, but what stood out were the people,” the incoming Mason High School senior related. “They were all so nice. There were five or six coaches waiting for me when I got there. Everything was amazing.

“I love the baseball culture they’ve created,” Brannon continued. “The first thing the recruiting coordinator told me is we have fun playing baseball. In watching them play in the (NCAA) tournament they had a freshman pitching and they all enjoyed playing. That was great to see and I could see myself as part of it.”

Three weeks after the visit an offer was presented and the ninth-ranked 2024 right-handed pitcher in Ohio accepted three days later.

“We had a scout day with Alpha Baseball in January and I hit good numbers,” Brannon reflected. “They hit me up after that with calls and normal stuff. They went to one of my games and I went on an official visit once school was out.”

Duke saw a lot to like in the 6-3 205-pounder that led to the visit, offer and commitment.

“My metrics, my pitchability and my size,” Brannon said about what impressed Duke. “I’m a smart kid and they liked my personality.”

The desire to play college baseball took off once the 23rd-rated 2024 in the state began high school.

“My freshman year is when I started taking it seriously,” noted Brannon, who was also a catcher until turning full attention to pitching last summer. “One of the kids on my summer team committed to Notre Dame and when I saw that is when it became serious for me.”

Focus on improvement followed.

“Last summer I quit football, I got in the weight room and I put on 30 pounds which helped my velo,” Brannon explained. “Alpha worked with me on perfecting my pitches and full-time dedication and eating right propelled me to where I am now.”

A commitment brings an end to a recruiting process that had some good times.

“Every time I knew I made a jump I’d go to a PBR event and get my numbers out there and that definitely got me in front of coaches,” Brannon said. “It was kind of bait for them to look at me. I also went to camps to get my name out and I sent emails.”

But there were difficult decisions along the way.

“It was stressful getting an offer from Marshall and telling them I wanted to see how my school season goes and who looks at me,” pointed out Brannon, who also had offers from Butler and Cincinnati in addition to interest from Ohio State and Michigan. “It was hard to tell them to wait.”

Greg Williams and Jon Keesling with Alpha Baseball as well as Mason head coach Curt Bly were all big in helping Brannon get to the point of becoming a Duke commit.

“It’s a feeling of being too good to be true,” Brannon said of his college future now decided. “It’s a top-of-the-line baseball program with top-of-the-line academics. I’m lucky and blessed to be part of it. They bring in 10 every year and it’s just a blessing to be one of them.”

The 17-year-old understands the challenges ahead at a prestigious university like Duke.

“Juggling baseball and academics will definitely not be easy,” admitted Brannon, who carries a 4.1 GPA at Mason and plans to major in business or engineering at the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Durham, N.C. “I’m just going to make sure I’m putting my best out there when it comes to the program and academics.”

Brannon, who lists his competitiveness and heart as two key ingredients he brings to the table when it comes to pitching, has high anticipation about his days ahead at Duke.

“I’m looking forward to the competition and the friendships,” Brannon concluded. “Obviously the ACC is a tough baseball conference, so I’ll be playing against the best in the nation. Coming into a winning program that was one game away from Omaha, I look forward to making history with them and getting better as a pitcher. I’m ready to get with pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick and develop my pitches.”