By Sean Duncan
Bryant Hodge can’t explain it, other than it’s a “gift from God.” His friends have offered an alternative explanation, calling him various endearing nicknames of freak.
However one chooses to theorize Hodge’s extraordinary skill, there has to be some reasonable explanation as to how a 5-foot-7, 150-pound kid can throw a baseball so hard, or can launch a football 70 yards in the air.
Hodge, a 14-year-old right-handed pitcher and catcher from Moore, Okla., showcased his golden arm at the final National Tournament Identification Series (NTIS) tryout over Labor Day weekend in Jupiter, Fla. Playing against the best 14-year-olds from across the country, Hodge dominated like few others to earn a roster spot on the 14U USA National Team. He was one of 24 players in the country selected to compete in the all-paid-expenses Pan Am qualifier in Guatemala City, Guatemala on Nov. 28.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” said Hodge. “The whole process, the weeks of tryouts, it was so much fun. Just to have this opportunity is amazing.”
Hodge’s plight to the USA National Team began at an Amateur Baseball Report identification camp in Oklahoma. From there he advanced to a regional camp, where he again displayed an 83-85 mph fastball, tight curveball, and sub-2 pop times behind the plate.
Finally, in Florida Hodge impressed the USA Baseball coaches by striking out four in two innings work while also shining behind the plate and at shortstop.
“Coming in I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to make the team,” Hodge said. “I didn’t want to over-think anything. I tried not to think about who was watching. I just went out and played my game.”
Hodge’s precocious arm strength didn’t happen overnight. In fact, as a 9-year-old he was throwing 50 mph. To put that in perspective, a 9-year-old pitcher from New Haven, Conn. recently got banned from his league for throwing 40 mph, which was too hard and too intimidating for the opposing teams. (Click Here to read story).
“When you see Bryant on the mound, he looks like an average 14-year-old,” said Todd Fine, who was one of the NTIS coaches at Jupiter. “Most of the times when a kid that age is throwing that hard, he’s almost fully grown, or at least gone through a big growth spurt. Bryant looks like most other kids his age. And then you see the ball explode from his hand … it was surprising to say the least. I don’t know if I’ve seen a player at that age and size throw like that. And as good as he is on the mound, I thought he was just as good or better as a catcher.”
Hodge, who stays on a rigorous long-toss program to keep his arm in shape, said his early success only makes him want to work harder.
“I don’t let any of this stuff get to my head,” he said. “I don’t think about the past or think about the future. I focus on what I can do to get better today.”