When meeting Brian Morrell for the first time, it is easy to detect the humbled confidence that he projects. This confidence is far from his self-proclaimed nervousness when he first arrived as a member of the EIU baseball team in 2005. That same confidence Brian passes on to the children he so enjoyably works with.
Brian's confidence most recently hit a high on the baseball field when he earned a victory and a save in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, helping lead EIU to its second tourney title and first since 1999. However, that was not Brian's only success on the field. Since his arrival at EIU, he has recorded 10 victories and boasts a career mark of holding opposing hitters to a .243 average.
Baseball has had a great influence on Brian's life, and its structure has helped him to become even more successful academically. Brian's list of academic achievements at EIU is one that dwarfs that of most. Brian's 4.0 GPA as a Biological Sciences major has helped him receive the EIU Presidential Scholarship, as well as OVC Student Athlete of the Year and ESPN the Magazine Second Team Academic All-America honors in 2008. This spring, he was selected as one of 30 candidates nationally for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Don't worry, all the intelligence Brian possesses will continue to be put to good use. His desire to help others become as athletically successful as he has been drives him to volunteer at baseball camps for children. He has provided free pitching lessons to local kids in his hometown of Quincy, Ill. Brian plans on attending graduate school to become a physical therapist. Among his interests in physical therapy include what he observed at Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis, Mo. Keeping children in good physical health is not far from his heart.
Being a student-athlete at Eastern Illinois University has left a lasting effect on Brian. He has made himself as well as the teams he has played for very successful. However, this does not compare to the lasting effect Brian has had and will continue to have on future generations of athletes.
More with Brian Morrell
Q. What was behind your decision to attend Eastern Illinois University?
A. Eastern was my first Division I offer out of high school, but more importantly I got along really well with the coaches.
Q. What has been your most rewarding experience as a student-athlete?
A. I would say winning the conference tournament last year and moving on to play Nebraska and Oral Roberts.
Q. What rewards you the most on the field?
A. I really just enjoy playing and having fun.
Q. How would you define your team's chemistry?
A. It's good, everybody gets along. We live together and hang out a lot together. We like to have fun together by giving each other a hard time.
Q. How do you get yourself focused before you enter a game?
A. I like to be prepared. I pay attention to the game, study batters, and stay ready. I tell myself one pitch at a time, say a small prayer to myself, and let the adrenaline take over.
Q. Describe your most life-changing event.
A. In my first year at EIU I struggled. I decided to go to Union City, TN to play in the KIT League to figure out what I was doing wrong. I was able to relax there and have fun, which really took the pressure off of me and has allowed me to become successful.
Q. Who are your heroes in life?
A. My parents. My dad taught me the meaning of hard work from an early age.
Q. What are three traits that define you?
A. I am blessed, a hard worker, and pretty easy-going.
Q. What does leadership mean to you?
A. Leadership to me means doing things the right way. I'm not one to get in someone's face but I like to set a good example.
Q. Tell me something that most people don't know about you.
A. I like to write. One summer when I was younger, I broke my finger and couldn't do much, so I wrote a 100 page story that I only let my parents see.
