Day In The Life Of Louisville Baseball Commit Braxton Stewart

What's up, y'all? This is Braxton Stewart. That's 2023. Believe it or commit, I played here at Easterside High School. I traveled to Indiana Bulls. I pitched and played outfield for my high school. This is a day in my life. The age I got into baseball was around three to four. What influenced me was I always grew up with it. My dad played college baseball. He coached D1 baseball at Eastern Michigan for a while. So it was always in the family. He always wanted a left-handed pitcher, and I happened to be it. It was just a game I fell in love with since the beginning. There's something about being on the mound and controlling a game. It's nothing like it. You play in big games, the atmosphere, facing the best players in the country. It's just nothing like it. Baseball is a very, very hard sport. You got to have a lot of dedication. It's got to be the best out there, in my opinion. I play basketball. I play football. Baseball, in my opinion, I knew from the jump that this is where I wanted to go in life. I wanted to go across the country and play the game that I love. What made me pick Louisville is they always came to Wake Forest when I was around 10 years old, and they're always really good. That was my idea, was when I was 10, 11 years old, I was like, wow, this team's really good. They're always in the run for the College World Series. They're always the top team in the country. So the older I got, and when the recruiting started to hit, I was always looking for Louisville. I always loved watching them play. They were always so nice to me when I was a little kid, and it slowly became my dream school to play there. I always wanted to stay in the ACC. When I got recruited, it was a super hard choice. I started growing relationships with all the teams that recruited me. It was a very hard decision at the end of the day, but I knew deep down in my heart when Louisville gives me an offer, that's where I want to go. When I talked to Coach Mack and Coach Williams and Coach Brable, Coach Snyder, all great coaches, I fell in love with them. They do so good with their program, with development and breeding left-handed pitchers like Reed Detmers and a right-handed pitcher, Bobby Miller. Just, I got to see them play, and I was honored to see them play in person and see myself on the mound in that stage. Luke Smith, always tried to keep his mentality when he was on the mound. Like he owned everybody, but just seeing the facilities, seeing the field, seeing the locker rooms, I got to actually see it last year in August. When I was getting recruited during COVID, it was all virtual. I had to see everything virtual. They showed me what their plans were with the university, and I just fell in love with it. And it was a no-brainer after they showed me everything. I don't feel any pressure being a D1 player at the high school level. I feel like, I feel like you have a target on your back. I feel like all these kids, you know, they know who you are because you're a Division I, you're a Division I player, you're a Division I commit. And so they, you kind of have higher expectations. Like, you know, this guy's going to this school. He needs to perform that way. So you feel it a little bit, but at the end of the day, you're just playing the game you love. You're playing baseball. You're out there with your boys, playing the game you love. So I don't really feel pressure. I enjoy that pressure. I embrace it. I love being that guy who they target. You know, it's best on best. If you beat me, you beat me. But in my mind, you're not beating me. So, no, I don't feel any pressure or any type of anxiety when I'm out there being a D1 player. I just go out there, do my best, and show them why I'm a Division I baseball player. I feel like my greatest strength is my energy. And obviously being on the mound. Just trying to tell everybody that, you know, they belong here and bringing energy to the game. If someone's down, hyping them up. Telling them that they're the man when they're in the moment. Nobody better in the moment. And obviously being on the mound is obviously probably my greatest strength just because they can't win if they can't score. So in my head, if I'm on the mound, I feel like we're gonna win every game. That's the mentality I try to have. Weakness, I would say, obviously I can get better at hitting. Obviously I'm not going to college for hitting, but just to bring to the table, I definitely can work on hitting more just to provide for my team, which I'm going to do this year. Just hit more. And I wouldn't say I was a big power guy, but my sophomore year, I hit pretty well. I hit around like 350. Junior year, I didn't hit very well. So hopefully senior year, I can really bring it to the table on the mound and in the box. That was an Andrew Wiggins swing. My best baseball memory so far was honestly probably when I committed, just because that was just a long dream of mine, just being at the level of Division I baseball, Power Five, ACC's, where I wanted to be. And especially at a university like Louisville, when I got that opportunity, it was just one of those things where you look back and it's just like, wow, that really happened. It didn't really sink in until a couple months later where you really think about what just happened. But best baseball memory, it's gotta be that summer when I got recruited and stuff finally started falling into place and I committed to Louisville. What my tattoo says is, it says, for him I will, my brother's keeper, Forrest Sterling, 2004, 2001. This tattoo means a lot to me. It's for my best friend, my brother who passed away. He was one of those friends that I grew up with, learned a lot with. His family is an amazing family. For him I will is a promise I made to his dad, Reggie, shout out to you. My brother's keeper, I'm always have him in my heart, it's who I do it for. Forrest Sterling, four was his football number when we were little. So four, it's his football number, but it's also saying for him. And obviously the dates, and these are supposed to be like their little clouds. And these are us like soaring through those clouds together no matter what. And it's also how many birds got let off at his funeral. I can't talk enough about it. Reggie, his two little brothers are like my little brothers. Reggie has been a very good role model in my life, someone I looked up to. Great advice, always helped me, always pushed me to my limits when I work out with him. He's really been like a second father figure. I couldn't thank him enough. Reggie, if you're watching this, thank you. And I love you guys. My mindset when I'm going up to the mound is just, man, it's that time. A time I've been preparing for all week because I have a routine that I work up to and pitching, when it's the pitching day, that's the easiest day of the week. That's how it's supposed to be. But man, when I'm going up to pitch, I'm just thinking about dominating the game, trying to throw the best game I've ever thrown in my life, every game. If I threw a great game last game, I'm trying to do better than I did last game. But it's so fun. It's a great experience being on the mound and having the ball in your hand. I love big moments. I love big games. Can't talk enough about it. It's an amazing, and I can't wait to be at different higher levels and feel the same thing. And the advice I have for you guys that are uncommitted and looking to get D1 offers and scholarships is everybody, I get DMs about it. Like, you know, how do I go D1? How do I get attention? And really, man, you just gotta put your head down and you gotta work your butt off, man. It's not something that you're just gonna wake up to and say, oh, I wish I had offers. Oh, I wish I could go D1. Don't wish it, get up and go do it. Like you can really do it. It's not all about, oh, it's not God-given. Well, even if it's not God-given, you can still work your butt off to get to that stage. So just work, put your head down. Don't think about nobody else. Don't look at nobody else. Like Reggie said, he said, when horses are racing, they have those little tunnel visions on where they just see the finish line and they don't see another horse unless it's in front of them. So don't look at nobody else on the side. Don't think about anybody else. Just focus on your race and your finish line. And if you work your butt off, the attention will come no matter where you are and you will start getting offers and you will become your dream. Your dream will happen. Today was a great day at the field. Got some T-work in, some front toss. Got a live BP, live outfield, couple outfield drills and got some good work in on the mound. It's a great day. Good day to be out here. Pretty hot, fought through it. Overall, it was a great day. Now it's my day in the life.