BRIAN SPEAR

[WSUBB00]

Not a bad season for a transfer from WSU. For those of you who didn't get to know Brian he was a tremendous talent who just got stuck behind some proven contributors and he chose to transfer to get playing time.

Excerpt from the UK baseball website:

UK lost few key players from its 2007 squad and returns several of the top prospects in the conference, including Collin Cowgill (.291 avg., 16 HR, 61 RBI in 2006), Sawyer Carroll (.350 avg., 23 2Bs, 3 HR, 56 RBI),

Brian Spear (.353 avg., 5 HR, 49 RBI, school-record 53 BB)

and Scott Green – ranked as the eighth-best prospect in college baseball by Baseball America. UK appears well stocked on the mound with several top recruits beefing up the staff, along with the return of several talented pitchers, including Green, southpaw starter Chris Rusin (4.90 ERA, 5-4) and stopper Aaron Lovett (2.20 ERA, 2-2, 7 saves).

Wish him the best in the 2008 season.

[haysdb]

Brian is a perfect example of a kid who will be harmed by the new transfer rule requiring players to sit out a season. We had a young man a couple of years ago, I'm sorry but his name now escapes me (Nick something?), who transferred to one of the Dakota schools and played center field. He was buried here, but contributed there.

But this isn't about that, this is about a fine young man who was perhaps a better player than any of us realized, who really blossomed at a new program. At WSU he would have played second fiddle to a pair of All-Americans, at second and third base.

Congratulation to Brian Spear on a fine season, and I wish him the best of success in the upcoming one.

[WSUBB00]

The young man you refer to is Nick Adams from the KC area. He transferred after the fall semester of 2004 after "seeing the light" in fall ball. He transferred to So Dakota State and was a member of one of the teams in the NBC tournament this past summer.

I visited with him during the NBC tournament. He is very happy at So Dakota State where he is the starting center fielder and has used his talent to grow and become an even better baseball player. He loves coming "south" and getting the opportunity to play bigger name programs.

A very nice young man and a fine representative of the quality young men WSU recruits to "play the game" we love!

WSUBB00