Great Bend High centerfielder Brady Michel was proven himself as a baseball player at the high school level. Michel was named Western Athletic Conference baseball Player of the Year in 2015.
Michel, a 6-foot, 185 pounder, has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the next level by signing with Barton Community College as an outfielder.
Last year, Michel batted .483 with an on-base percentage of .547 and a slugging percentage of .800. Michel had 29 hits in 60 at-bats with seven doubles, six triples,19 runs scored, 23 runs batted in with 10 walks and six strikeouts in 76 plate appearances.
“Last year, I had some teammates who didn’t sign early and I didn’t want that,” Michel said. “I’m glad to get my decision out of the way.”
Michel will play centerfield and pitch for the Panthers. His fastball has been clocked in the 80 mph range. He prefers starting as a pitcher, but has also saved games in relief.
First team all-league Michel, first-team third baseman Anson Hall and honorable mention infielder-pitcher Bryce Lytle return for the Panthers this spring for head coach Randy Beck.
“I’d like to have a good spring season, better than last year,” he said. “As a team, we should be a really good baseball team. Our goal will be to win a regional championship and qualify for the state tournament. We can do it.”
Michel said he’s attended Barton Community College games and feels comfortable fitting in with the level of junior college baseball.