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High School  | General  | 4/3/2020

Wright Glimpses Into Future

Blake Dowson     
Photo: Brooks Wright (Perfect Game)

Brooks Wright has always been a Tennessee Volunteer fan.

His father, Jeff, grew up in Knoxville and was the same way. Now he’s raising his family in his hometown, supplying plenty of Tennessee orange to his son.

That’s why it was so easy for Brooks, a catcher in the 2024 class, to make the decision to commit to play for Tennessee after he graduates from high school.

“I’ve always wanted to play for Tennessee,” Wright said. “After going around their facilities and seeing what they have to offer, it was pretty incredible. The coaching staff and how they treat their players, it’s awesome. I love the field, the way they play, and it’s close to home, so I don’t really have to adapt to moving somewhere.”

Wright hasn’t played a high school baseball game yet in his career, but he is already plenty accomplished as a ballplayer.

The No. 10 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to Perfect Game, he is also the No. 2 catcher and top overall prospect in the state of Tennessee. He was also selected to play in the 2019 13u PG Select Baseball Festival at the University of Oklahoma last August.

He now becomes the first recruit to sign in the 2024 class for the Volunteers – and a big one at that – and begins to continue the recent recruiting surge Tennessee has experienced in the past few years. The team currently on campus at Tennessee is made up of three top-10 recruiting classes according to PG (2016, 2018, 2019) and another top-15 finish (2017). Recruiting Coordinator Josh Elander has the 2021 class off to a strong start as well, ranking as the seventh-best in the country as of now.

Wright is the first domino to fall for the 2024 group. He liked having that distinction.

“I’m the first Tennessee commit of the 2024 class,” he said. “So the way Coach Elander explained it, I would sort of be the head of the class and we could build from there. I liked the idea of being the leader, I guess. That’s a great deal that I couldn’t pass up on.”

Committing so early in his career gives Wright a glimpse into his future, which he sees as a helpful thing.

He’s been getting those glimpses for a while now, playing up in age in a number of PG events with different 5 Star National teams.

Wright played with 5 Star National 15u Dobbs last October at the WWBA Freshman World Championship, with a roster full of players a year older than him. Playing up has always been his preference, because it’s a challenge for him.

“You get more exposure to schools, and you get more exposure to harder pitching,” Wright explained. “All those things that you’ll get exposed to in the next couple years of your baseball career. So I feel like it’s beneficial that you see that early, so you know what to expect later.”

Wright had the opportunity to play with Riley Jackson and Brady Neal at the Freshman World Championship last fall, two 2023 catchers who fit the same profile as Wright – top prospects in their class who are committed to play at big-time, blue blood programs in college. Jackson will play his college ball at Florida State, and Neal at LSU.

Jackson and Neal have been through the same experiences Wright has. They’re just one year ahead of him on that journey. Wright just played in the 13u Select Festival, Jackson and Neal both participated in the 14u Select Festival last year.

Again, playing with those two 2023s gave Wright a glimpse into what his future holds.

“They’re older than me, they’re more skilled,” Wright said of Jackson and Neal. “They just have a little more experience. So I try to take parts of their games that I like and admire, and try to incorporate them into my game. Their throwdowns, how they catch, how they hit, how they carry themselves.”

Those two are not bad examples to follow.

Wright described the 13u PG Select Baseball Festival as the best baseball experience he’s ever had. He has his sights set on the same 14u event now, knowing full well what it takes to get there.

For now, that’s tee work in his garage and throwing at a park close to his house until things clear up. He’ll do whatever needs to be done, because he can see what his future may hold, and he won’t let that slip.

“It was insane,” Wright said of the 13u Select Festival. “I loved being there with all those guys from around the country. I loved being there and making new friends, because I’ll be playing against them all throughout college, probably. It’s good to meet those people early. It was just insane. My next goal is to get invited to the 14u Select Festival…I want to get my feet quicker for catching. I want to improve my footwork. I want to get bigger and stronger, too. As a player, I just really want to get invited to the 14u Festival.”
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