By: Brent Alwine

PBR – Michigan Director of Scouting

Brenden Kelly 2014 Grandville HS

PBR - Why did you choose North Central College? What do you plan to study in college?

Kelly - As soon as I stepped on the beautiful campus at North Central, I instantly fell in love with the place. The coaches made me feel important and the team really welcomed me in. They take athletics very seriously as well as academics. I felt at home and I knew that North Central was the place for me. I will be majoring in Broadcasting and I also hope to minor in Journalism. North Central's Broadcasting program is second to none, so that also really helped influence my decision on where I wanted to attend school.

PBR - What other schools were recruiting you?

Albion College and Calvin College were the other schools that were recruiting me. I loved all the schools I visited and the coaches were all fantastic. I was truly blessed with the opportunity to be recruited by three amazing schools. I also can't thank PBR and Billy Peterson at Diamonds Training Academy enough for helping me get in front of such great schools. North Central first saw me at a PBR showcase at Davenport and then again at a tournament at Notre Dame while playing for Diamonds.

PBR - What are your goals for the season ahead as a team and personal

Kelly- At Grandville, we have set our goals very high this year. We have a great team coming back and we can't wait to surprise some people. We are hardworking kids that all have the same goal in mind...to win the OK Red, District's, Regional's, and the State Championship. We believe we can achieve these things if we just block out all the negative things and focus on the task at hand. We can't wait to get this season started to prove to everyone that we aren't a team to sleep on.

PBR - Who has influenced your baseball career the most?

Kelly - My family, they have been there since day one and I can't thank them enough for everything they have done for me. From all the countless weekends they drove me out of town for tournaments to the long games they had to sit through; I still will never be able to thank them enough. They are my biggest fans.

PBR - What is your most memorable moment in baseball?

Kelly - Playing for Team USA in the Dominican Republic, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I got to experience a whole new culture while playing the game I love. The kids from the Dominican could play ball too, all talented kids that lived for the game. It was awesome.