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College  | Story | 10/27/2022

The PG Path: Michael Braswell

Craig Cozart
Photo: Michael Braswell (Perfect Game)
“Never take anything for granted. Especially something like this.” -Anthony Castrovince on Shohei Ohtani

Perfect Game's Craig Cozart recently caught up with Michael Braswell, a 2020 Perfect Game All-American out of Mableton, Georgia and now two-way standout at the University of South Carolina. The two spoke on Braswell's prep career, dealing with an MLB Draft decision, and transitioning into SEC baseball, among other topics.



What is your first memory involving the game of baseball?

Braswell: Just me and my Pops, Michael Braswell, playing catch when I was like 3 or 4 years old. My dad was my coach growing up and coached almost every team I played on until I was 16 or so years old.

How old were you when you first started playing organized baseball?

Braswell: I was 4 years old playing on a local little league team at Lions Park in Mableton, Ga.

Who were the most influential people in your baseball career as you were growing up?
Braswell: My Dad was obviously number one and my travel ball coach Curtis George with Team Halo.

When did you start playing travel ball and what organization did you play with for most of your career?
Braswell: I was 8 or 9 years old when I started playing with Team Halo out of Atlanta and I stayed with them until I was about 16 years old. This was a small program with just one team, but we had many players through the years that were high round picks and D-I guys. Termarr Johnson, Bubba Chandler, Rob Gordon, and Hunter Elliott are a few guys that come to mind that played with the Halos through the years.

What other sports did you play growing up and do you think it’s important for young athletes not to specialize too soon?
Braswell: I think it’s important for athletes not to specialize too soon. I played football but basketball was my main other sport growing up. I played shooting guard and stayed out on the wing since my Dad wanted me not to try to play above the rim for safety reasons. I think playing other sports will help you on the baseball field, because if you look at the Big Leagues today, everybody is really athletic. If you want to be great you must be physical and well rounded.

When you hear the words, Perfect Game Baseball, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Braswell: I was an East Cobb guy, so Perfect Game always had a close association to what we were doing there. But really it was about being able to get the best players in the nation into one event. Being able to create opportunities for the best players to go head-to-head at the same venue was such a great opportunity.

How old were you when you played in your first Perfect Game event and where did it take place?
Braswell: The first one ever was probably when I was 12 years old in Jupiter.

What is your all-time favorite PG venue and why?
Braswell: Definitely Jupiter, I had the opportunity to play there four years. The first time I was with the FTB/Giants Scout Team with Alan Kunkel coaching the team. That team had players like Riley Greene and Vaughn Grissom so there were always scouts galore anytime we took the field, and I was only 14 years old. It was the first time I had experienced an electric atmosphere like that under the lights with all the golf carts surrounding the field with college and pro scouts. It was a surreal moment for me.

What was your favorite memory from a team standpoint in a Perfect Game event?
Braswell: When I was playing with the East Cobb Astros, and we made it to the championship game of the WWBA. That was a moment I’ll never forget. Our team was stacked with players like Harry Ford, Christian Moore, Joe Mack and Termarr Johnson and just to go through that with my brothers was very impactful to me.

Do you feel like Perfect Game as organization had an impact on your career, your opportunity to be recruited and be considered for the MLB Draft?
Braswell: Definitely, if you look at my PG profile, I played in 62 events and I was in over 200 articles on the website, so that was great exposure for me as an individual. Perfect Game brings the best players together, so in turn the people who are evaluating those players are all there as well.

Being a Perfect Game All-American, what does that mean to you to this day?
Braswell: Man, I consider that one of the crowning achievements in my career so far. Growing up I would always watch that event on TV and I thought to myself that I really want to experience that. So, to put in the work and see that come to fruition, I felt like that validated me as one of the best players in the nation.

You were both heavily recruited and could have signed professionally out of high school. So, what advice would you have for younger players when it comes to the recruiting process and weighing the option between college and the MLB Draft?
Braswell: From a recruiting standpoint, be sure you go to a program where you are truly wanted. With the transfer portal and the way it has affected our game, it’s important to go somewhere that you will have a chance to get on the field early and you know for sure that the coaching staff loves you. When it comes to making the decision between going to college or playing professional baseball, you must understand who you are as a person. For me, I knew I wanted to grow as a man, and I felt like the college experience was going to give me the best opportunity to achieve that. My parents are both highly educated. My dad went to the Naval Academy and served on a submarine for four years and is now a professor at Kennesaw State and my mother, Precious, went to Oglethorpe University and is a doctor.

What is your favorite MLB team and why?
Braswell: I don’t really have a favorite team believe it or not. I root more for players, and I love the way Tim Anderson plays the game. He plays with such high energy and seems to have a flare for the dramatic.

What do you think the game of baseball could do to attract the next generation of players?
Braswell: I think the game needs a combination of things. The game itself doesn’t need changing but allowing the players to let their individual personalities come out more will attract younger players. You look at the Acunas and the Tatis of the world and the energy and the fun they bring to the game, that’s appealing to the next generation. Baseball is known as America’s “National Pastime” and that can seem boring to people that don’t understand the game. But if they see the game being played with more passion, then they will associate that with being fun and they will be hooked. The game demands that you play it the right way and that you respect the history, but a bat flip isn’t disrespectful to the game. Let the game be fun and it will continue to grow.

You play collegiately at the University of South Carolina; what made you decide to be a Gamecock?
Braswell: I had a lot of schools that were recruiting me and the coaching staff from South Carolina seemed to be at every one of my games. So, I went on a visit to Columbia and in my mind the Gamecocks weren’t even in my top-5 schools. But when I left there, I wanted to commit the next day. I had such a great experience in every aspect while I was there, it just felt like the right place for me.

What is the best part about being a member of the South Carolina Baseball Team and how have you grown as an individual?
Braswell: The most important thing to me is the relationship I have with my teammates and the bonds I have built with them. While here I have really grown in the area of time management and keeping my priorities in line on and off the field. On the field, I have transferred my focus from exclusively on what I am doing and focus more on the team as a whole. When I was in high school, I was more focused on personal goals, playing for the MLB Draft, but now I relish in the fact that we are all playing for a common goal.

Founders Park is one of the premier NCAA baseball facilities in the nation with one of the most passionate fanbases around. What is that like and what is your favorite part of that atmosphere?
Braswell: What's not to like? Our fans are great people, they have been with us through the good and bad. They are knowledgeable about the game and truly care. There isn’t a better atmosphere in all of college baseball than when we match up against Clemson for our three-game series every year. But my favorite part is the young kids and being able to talk to them and hopefully motivate them. It’s humbling when they say they want to be a Gamecock one day and further inspires me to play the game the right way and be an example for them.

You were a John Olerud Award semifinalist last year for being one of the top two-way players in all of college baseball. How do you manage the demands that brings on a daily basis, especially from an arm maintenance standpoint?
Braswell: Arm care, arm care, arm care, you must take care of your arm, or your performance is going to suffer. I wasn’t as committed to it as I should have been in high school or last year as a freshman, and it caught up with me last spring. I ended up losing some velocity and wasn’t as effective on the mound as I wanted to be. This year I am going to be a full-time position player since we have the depth we need on the mound, and I am really looking forward to more of a singular focus.

The game is very analytics-driven these days. What are the metrics that you find most interesting and helpful for you individually and how do you apply them to your craft?
Braswell: The main things that I focus on are launch angle and exit velocity. Those are obviously huge determining factors in the results you get offensively. But I also pay attention to ball rotation of the bat and try to create as much backspin as I can. These traits are different depending on your skill set, if you are a speed guy or just a power guy, etc.

You are a physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds and are super athletic. What is your favorite lift in the weight room and what would you tell young players is the most important lift for a baseball player specifically?
Braswell: Well, I think it important to look at body composition when you get to this level and figure out where you need to be based on the demands of your position. I have leaned out this year but at the same time I am way stronger from a functional strength standpoint. My favorite lift is split squats since I feel like this really helps me be explosive and as athletic as possible. As far a specific lift, I just think it is important to be symmetrical, so I wouldn’t emphasize one specific lift over another.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career thus far and what could young players learn from your experience?
Braswell: Learning how to deal with struggles or failure was the thing for me. My season was unusual in that I started off hot with the stick and then when we got into SEC play, I really started to struggle. So, I had to tap into my mental strength and maintain a confident outlook even when I was in the middle of a rough patch.

We live in a world where social media is prevalent. Do you spend much time on social media? If so, what is your favorite platform and what do you like to post?
Braswell: I spend a decent amount of time on social media, and I like to post on Instagram. It gives me an opportunity to give people some insight into who I am and what I believe in. I feel like I have the privilege of having a platform as a collegiate athlete, so I want to be able to use that to make a positive impact.

Most baseball players are very routine-oriented and have superstitions. Do you have any interesting routines, go-to pregame meals or superstitions you would be willing to share?
Braswell: I’m not crazy about superstitions but I do things like I have to strap up my batting gloves twice before each at-bat. I like to take a deep breath between pitches to help me focus on the next pitch and that’s about it. I’m not too picky about meals, the food they serve us pregame is always great, so I just go with whatever is on the menu for the day.

Last question here, now that you have had a wide array of baseball experience, what do you know now that you wish you would have known back when you were a younger player?
Braswell: Understand how important physicality is and put more emphasis on strength and conditioning as early in your career as possible. Mass and functional strength is a big separator.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Michael Braswell a little better and were able to gain some valuable insight and perspective from our conversation. Be on the lookout for the next installment of the PG Path coming soon!

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