Feature Story On Hunter Brown

The following is a feature story written by a student (Zack Shrodes) in Christine Maleske, Ph.D. Fall 2024 Sports Communications Class about former WSU pitcher and current Houston Astros hurler Hunter Brown.

Only three baseball players from Wayne State University have made it to Major League Baseball (MLB), and Hunter Brown is now among them. Drafted in 2019, he's worked tirelessly to make his way to the big leagues. Reflecting on his college days, Hunter says, "It's definitely a brotherhood … I'm glad I chose Wayne State over a couple of other options I had."

Some of Hunter's success at Wayne State include having a 14-3 record for a school record .823 winning percentage. He also had 114 strikeouts in 2019, the second-highest single-season mark in the program's history. Hunter excelled not only on the field at Wayne State but also off the field. Ryan Kelley, the head coach of the Wayne State baseball team, explained how Hunter had a 3.6 GPA over his career at Wayne State, and the semester he was drafted, he achieved a 4.0 GPA. "Some people might just focus on their sport. He didn't. He stayed true to what our culture is and what we believe in, and he set himself up differently compared to his peers that were also on the draft board." Coach Kelly highlighted the importance of excelling as a student as a major part of the Wayne State baseball culture.

Hunter's journey wasn't always easy. Coach Kelley described it as "a maturation process" that involved athletic, academic, and personal growth. Assistant Coach Aaron Hepner recalled a turning point in Hunter's sophomore year when he struggled on the field. "He had 16 innings and zero strikeouts at the division II level," Hepner said. After being moved to the bullpen, Hunter turned things around, finishing the year with 32 innings and 32 strikeouts. "He was not happy. We had a long conversation during practice in our clubhouse. He struck out two per inning pretty much after that." Coach Hepner explained that Hunter's abilities took a big leap from his sophomore year to his junior year.

After the successful tenure that Hunter had at Wayne State in 2019, he was selected with the 166th overall pick in the fifth round by the Houston Astros. Hunter spent three years in the Minor leagues playing for the Sugar Land Skeeters and the Corpus Christi Hooks. One of the biggest challenges for Hunter when he first was drafted and still today is the travel. "Showing up to a new city every three or four days for 162 games can be a challenge."

Hunter made his MLB debut on September 5, 2022. He described his debut as "calm," and added, "I felt like I had debuted so many times in my head prior to my actual debut, throwing the ball around the backyard and doing just little kid stuff like putting yourself in game seven of the World Series." The Astros would go on to win that game 1-0 and would end up winning the World Series that year. The following year, Hunter would go on to play 24 games for the Houston Astros and become a regular starter for the team.

One of the biggest challenges that Hunter has had to face since joining the MLB is the balance of personal life and baseball life. "When you are struggling or when you are doing well, it can kind of creep into your personal life and relationships. I think that's something that is difficult at times to manage." Hunter also finds dealing with the media can be a challenge as well. "As a major league baseball player, you have to not only care about the way that you perform, but there's media that you have to deal with. You are talking for an entire organization also." Hunter also explained how the MLB is a "revolving door of players," and you always have to be working your hardest to keep a position on the team.

Hunter has already completed one of his major goals, winning a World Series. His number one goal for the future of his career is to win another World Series. Hunter also explained some other goals he had. "A personal goal for me is to reach 10 years of service time." Hunter explained that the number of people who have played in the MLB is already a small number, and the amount of people who have played for more than 10 years is a very small amount.

With the success he has had in the MLB, Hunter still looks back at his time at Wayne State and remembers it fondly. In the end, Hunter was able to follow his dream that he had at a young age, to be a professional baseball player. Hunter's advice to Wayne State athletes is to "enjoy the moment." He added, "I would advise them to remain in the present and enjoy all the aspects, even the not-so-fun ones that you look back on in a couple of years, and you miss them."

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