By Chris Valentine
PBR Ohio Scouting Director

Today, Marietta head coach Brian Brewer talks about recruiting at the Division III level. He provides some insight into Marietta's success, on and off the field, and his program's strategy for building a roster of talented student-athletes.

Coach Brewer Brewer has secured his place in Marietta baseball history by guiding the Etta Express to multiple NCAA Division III National Championships. The success has earned Brewer an array of awards, including ABCA/Diamond NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, Mideast Region Coach of the Year and the Don Schaly OAC Coach of the Year. Prior to coaching, he was a three-year letterman at Marietta.
 

PBR: As a DIII program, what is your approach to recruiting? What type of player are you looking for?

Coach Brewer: We look for good kids from good families that can play the game.  We recruit young men that we feel can succeed here academically and athletically.  In a perfect world our recruits are great students, citizens, and players that are physically and mentally tough.  Having one of, if not the smallest roster size in the conference forces us to be more selective and accurate in the recruiting process.

PBR: Obviously, many kids have the desire to play DI or DII levels. How do you help them understand the advantages of playing DIII baseball at Marietta?

Coach Brewer: We explain the tradition and history of Marietta College Baseball. We explain the culture academically at Marietta College, and we explain the culture on campus and in town.  We say "If you want to go somewhere and live it up for four years and play a little ball in your spare time, then this is not the place for you.  If you want to get a great education and compete in a high caliber college baseball program in a small school setting, there is probably no better place to be."  We also make sure to show them the six national championship trophies in the Don Schaly Lobby as well.


PBR: What is your biggest obstacle in the recruiting process?

Coach Brewer: Finances.  Some people simply get "sticker shock" when they see $40,000 a year and run away from us because they do not realize that the average student is only paying $18-22,000.  Also, athletic scholarships make it difficult for us to compete financially with scholarship schools. We are going to be competitive with all private schools and most state schools (more debt incurred) from a financial standpoint, but typically when someone throws in an athletic scholarship, the battle becomes a little tougher.

PBR: What is the correlation between your recruiting and on the field success? 

Coach Brewer: This is college athletics, "You have got to have the horses." Successful recruiting is the key to the overall health of every program in the country.  Players win games and without them times are tough.

PBR: What is the difference between Marietta and other Division III programs in the state?

Coach Brewer: Forget about the state, MC Baseball is different than any other Division III program in the country.  We win more, more often than anyone else, and we feel we do it the right way.  We say yes sir and no ma’am on road trips, we do not wear hats into restaurants, etc. When it comes to game time, we are going to do everything we can (within the rules) to win and win convincingly.  Marietta College Baseball is arguably one of the most successful programs in the history of college baseball, and no one can disagree with the fact that we are the most successful NCAA Division III program available.  This is the "how" we are different.  "Why" we are different starts with the ability, work ethic, and commitment of our players.