Off The Mound: The Ripple Effect of Quincey Brown’s Injury

SEATTLE- When Quincey Brown, a senior pitcher at O’Dea High School was told that he was not able to pitch for the remainder of the season, not only did the news devastate him but it also hurt the morale of the team. Despite the struggles the team has found themselves going through mid-season, Brown and the O’Dea Fighting Irish have refused to back down. 

Brown, one of the best pitches in the Metro League last year, was a big contributor to O’Dea’s success in the past 2 seasons. The team ranked amongst the top five in the state for those 2 years but without him on the mound, the O’Dea team did not look as strong. The team sits at 8-11 on the season, quite different from what the team had gone into the season expecting. Thankfully, Brown has been able to hit for the O’Dea team and continues to make an impact on the team. 

“For me, I try not to look at it like we are underperforming. Our team is full of talent, and we all know what we are capable of. We just need to get our flow going and there is no telling how good we can be,” said Brown when asked how he feels about the season.  

Despite the emotional toll that the injury had on him when it took place, he made sure to learn from this experience and grow from it.

“When everything first happened, I had kind of been like why me? Then came the fear of knowing that this may harm my senior season. Thankfully, I have a great support system that did not let me stress it too much and helped me get back to normal,” Brown stated.

Over this time, Brown has almost taken a mentor role for the team, being one of the older and more influential players on the team. From the dugout, he has made sure to rally his teammates on and provide a shoulder to lean on whenever they feel it was needed.

“I just try to be there for my brothers no matter what I am going through. I know that my brothers would always be there for me, I just try to return the favor.” 

Despite the injury, Brown remains optimistic and prepared. He has been in and out of physical therapy and the weight room just trying to take it slow to assure that he comes back ten times better than before.

After this season, Brown plans to head off to play college baseball at UC San Diego, an incredibly talented team. They have ranked amongst the top of their division for the past few years so going into this program is no walk in the park. Brown acknowledged the work he would have to put in and said he was ready for the challenge.

“The UC Santa Barbara team is extremely talented, so I know the work it is going to take to make an impact. Right now, I am focusing on just getting my body right and coming in with the right mindset so when the time does come, I will be prepared.”  With a college career ahead of him, Brown is focused on doing whatever he can for his O'Dea team right now. The Irish won their first playoff game 9-4 against Roosevelt High School on Wednesday afternoon and take on Ingraham on Friday.