Senior left-handed pitcher Brandon Sage enters his final season at USA in 2009. After starting his collegiate career at Faulkner State Community College, he has gone on to earn two letters at South Alabama. In 28 career appearances, Sage has made 24 starts and posted a 7-7 record with a 6.63 ERA.
Despite dropping two-thirds of a run off of his ERA between his sophomore and junior seasons, he looks for even greater improvement as a senior. While working with new pitching coach Scot Sealy, Sage put up some impressive numbers during fall practice.
He posted a 3.21 ERA in 14.0 innings over four appearances. His 1.07 WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) ranked third on the team. In the second game of an exhibition doubleheader vs. Meridian Community College, Sage started and earned a win by limiting the Eagles to just one hit in 3.0 innings of work.
A Mobile, Ala. native, Sage sat down to discuss his childhood, life outside of baseball and the upcoming 2009 season.
Q: What baseball team did you root for as a child?
BS: The Atlanta Braves. I like a lot of the players and the way they played.
Q: Who were your favorite players at that time?
BS: Chipper Jones and Greg Maddux. I liked John Rocker for a little while. I liked his swagger.
Q: If you could go to one ballpark that you’ve never been to, which one would it be?
BS: Probably Fenway Park. I just like the atmosphere and the way it’s set up.
Q: What sports do you like other than baseball?
BS: I like college football mostly. I like Alabama.
Q: Who are your best friends on the team?
BS: Miles Ethridge and Lance Baxter
Q: What are you studying in school, and what are your plans for after graduation?
BS: Exercise Science. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to keep playing baseball, but if not I might go to physical therapy school.
Q: Have you lived in Mobile your entire life?
BS: Yeah, my whole life.
Q: What is something you’d like to see improve at South Alabama:
BS: Our weight room needs some updating.
Q: What road trip do you most look forward to?
BS: The QTI Baylor Classic in Waco. That’s some pretty good competition. It should be a good weekend to see how good we can be. We usually play better against better competition, so that should test us.
Q: Do you feel you have a leadership role as a senior?
BS: Yeah, I definitely do. Some of the younger guys look up to me, as well as four or five of the other seniors. It’s up to us to show them the way we do it here versus whatever they’re used to. I try to be a leader on and off the field and set examples for them.
Q: You made 12 starts last year. What are you expecting your role to be this year?
BS: I feel like Friday, Saturday and Sunday all mean the same thing. Not one game is more important than the other, and I feel like if we all come together we’ve got a chance to be pretty good. I don’t see that many teams competing with our pitching staff this year. I’ve improved in a lot of areas, and I’ve gotten a lot stronger with the throwing program. If we all have decent seasons, we’re going to be pretty tough.
Q: Do you prefer being a starter or a reliever?
BS: I’d rather be a starter than a reliever.
Q: What has it been like working with coach Sealy in his first year back here at USA?
BS: He’s definitely helped us all out. I’ve had troubles with the change-up, and he came in and just dedicated time and found what I was comfortable with. We just beat it to death, and I finally got to where it’s a pitch that I can use in a game instead of just a show pitch. He definitely came in and became the guy that we’ve been looking for to help us out.
Q: What are your expectations for this year, both for yourself and for the team?
BS: Personally, I just want to be a leader and lead through the good times and bad times ? whether we’re winning or losing. I want to pick guys up and do my part, and if I do my part, that’ll help the team out a lot. I’d like to at least go seven innings a game so that we can save our bullpen. As a team, there’s no question we’ve got a chance to be conference champions, and I think we’ve got a chance to go a lot further than that if we all bond together as a team. We’ve come together a lot better this year than in the previous two years that I was here, and the team chemistry that’s been there this year should help us get through some of the tougher times.
Click below to view previous editions of "In the Dugout with ..."
Derek O'Reilly (Nov. 7, 2008)
David Doss (Oct. 30, 2008)
Ryan Bohanan (Oct. 22, 2008)
Greg Johnson (Oct. 13, 2008)
Michael Logan (Oct. 6, 2008)
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
