Lowe aiming high in the pros
Published 9:38 pm Thursday, August 3, 2017
Former Nansemond River High School baseball standout Brandon Lowe is seeking to get better in the MiLB.
Nansemond River has had its fair share of baseball standouts over the years. One, in particular, is finding his way in his second season as a professional baseball player in the minor leagues. After four years at Nansemond River, in which he was named all-district, all-region and all-state player, Lowe went on to compete for the University of Maryland.
At Maryland, Lowe immediately made an impact. An injury in 2013 benched him for his freshman year, but he returned in 2014 for his redshirt freshman year. That year, he was named a first-team selection as a Baseball America and Perfect Game Freshman All-American. He was a member of the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team and a second team Freshmen All-American selection by the NCBWA. To top it off, he earned third team All-ACC honors and finished with a team-best .348 batting average, which ranked second in the ACC.
Because Lowe was able to come in and make an immediate impact for Maryland, he was put on the radar of pro scouts. During the 2015 season, Lowe hit .331 and led Maryland in hits (83), walks (38), runs (58) and doubles (18). He also finished with nine home runs and tied for second on the team in RBIs with 53.
A strong 2015 season led to Lowe being drafted by the MLB with the 87th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays. He has spent two seasons in the minor leagues playing for three different teams and is currently playing for the Montgomery Biscuits.
“This season has been great,” he said. “It has been great having great teammates around me.”
He describes his adjustment from his first to second year as night and day. Last year, he didn’t expect the season to be as much of a grind as it was. This season, he is better prepared.
“My preparation has been much better this year,” Lowe said. “After having a year under my belt, I know more of what to expect. That’s what has been the biggest adjustment so far.”
In 2017, while playing in the A level for 90 games, Lowe totaled 98 hits to go along with nine home runs. Since he was having such a strong season, he was moved up to the AA level. He has enjoyed his progression up to this point. If Lowe continues to progress, it won’t be long before he is moved up to the Major Leagues.
“Being able to play baseball for a living is a dream come true,” Lowe said. “I enjoy it every day. I want to be the best I can be. I’m an extremely competitive person, and I always want to compete at the highest level possible.”
The Montgomery Biscuits games can be watched at MiLB.com.