Student Athlete Chooses WSU Over Father’s PSU
There are over 486,000 high school baseball players in the United States today. Of those players, only 2.1 percent will play NCAA Division One baseball.
And of the over one million high school students who play football for their schools, only 2.6 percent will become NCAA Division One football players.
These low percentages make it even more remarkable when a student is offered scholarships in both sports.
This is the case of Brody Barnum, a two sport athlete at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington.
In his senior year, he has been a quarterback for the Skyview Storm football team, and will be a pitcher/outfielder for the Storm baseball team. He has had scholarship offers in both baseball and football from schools from Washington state to New York that wanted him to come play for them.
One school wanted him more than all the others, as Brody's father, Bruce Barnum, is the head coach of the Portland State University Vikings football team — and Barnum offered Brody an opportunity to play for him.
However, Brody turned down his own father to play baseball at Washington State University next year.
“Guys around the league joke I can’t even recruit my own kid,” Bruce Barnum said.
So while Brody may not be playing for his dad at PSU, he still found a way to make him proud.
“WSU is a good school and his education is important,” Bruce Barnum said. “We’ll be able to see him play some and that’s real important to his mom.”
According to Brody, his dad (and PSU) never had much of a chance. “WSU felt like home,” Brody said. “I’m from Pocatello, Idaho, so Pullman really felt just like home to me.”
Bruce Barnum is fine with his son making his own decisions. “All I did was answer his questions,” Bruce Barnum said. “He’s the one who’s gotta live it. It came down to a sports decision.”
Brody had to choose between ten football scholarships and nine baseball scholarships. In the end, he said, baseball won.
“I fell in love with baseball more in high school,” Brody said. “I can say I’m satisfied with what I did in football, but I feel like I can do more in baseball and see how far I can take it.”
Skyview Storm baseball coach Seth Johnson didn’t think it was much of a decision.
“No doubt in my mind he would play baseball in college,” Johnson said. “He had the early success his sophomore year and coaches were asking about him.”
This will be Brody’s third year playing varsity baseball with the Storm under Johnson.
“There has been a massive jump maturity wise,” Johnson said. “From sophomore year to junior year, there was a big jump focus and practice wise.”
Brody’s teammate Daniel Copeland has seen the growth first hand. “Brody is the type of teammate anyone wants,” Daniel said. “You can joke with him, but when work needs to be done he’s the guy you look to for leadership.”
Daniel and Brody have been teammates for the past two years on the Storm baseball team and both are Division I bound for baseball.
It is a friendship that Brody feels has helped him improve his baseball skills.
“My teammates helped me set goals and push me to be my best,” Brody said.
His dad, Bruce Barnum, always had one goal in mind. “Me and Brody always had an agreement,” Bruce Barnum said. “He had to apply to Cornell. I’m a big East Coast guy. He got in and I was real proud of him when he did that.”
Cornell holds special meaning to Barnum as it was where he got his Division I coaching breakthrough in 1991. He coached there for two years until 1993 and then returned there in 2007 before coming to PSU in 2010.
“The biggest thing my dad always told me,” Brody said, “is, if sports don’t work out, can you see yourself here in four to five years to get your degree.”
According to his coach at Skyview, Brody might not have to worry about getting a degree.
“I think there’s professional potential,” Johnson said. “There is potential to be drafted this year… He’s just so raw, but I feel like there is so much more in there.”
Brody was born surrounded by coaching. His father coached at Idaho State from 1998 to 2006 before the family moved to New York, where he coached for Cornell from 2007 to 2009. Barnum then moved his family to Portland, where he has coached at Portland State from 2010 until now.
“When Brody was a kid, we would drive around when I wasn’t coaching to the first open field we saw and go hit a bucket of baseballs,” said Barnum.
That childhood sets Brody apart, said Johnson, his Skyview coach.
“When you see professional athletes have kids, they’re very comfortable in locker rooms and talking to coaches,” Johnson said. “That’s how Brody is. I think that has a lot to do with growing up with his dad and being in the environment.”
As the first games of the high school baseball season approach, all eyes will be on Brody Barnum. Professional scouts, opposing coaches, and most importantly his dad.
“Brody plays for the love of the sport,” Bruce Barnum said.
If Brody keeps his passion for the game, nothing seems out of reach. Not even Major League Baseball.
