Cecil's Bold Presence, On And Off The Mound
5/23/2007 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 2007
Bases loaded. Two outs. Ninth inning. Tie game. Enemy territory. Maryland Terrapins closer Brett Cecil, donning jersey number 29, is on the mound with one goal--get this game against Miami to extra innings. It's the type of pressure situation that can make or break the mental makeup of a closer. Cecil, who as a junior is already Maryland's all-time career saves leader, goes to his windup, rears back and fires. Ball four. The dreaded walk-off walk. Miami wins, 4-3.
The next day Cecil is back out on the mound against the Hurricanes, given the task of getting the last four outs while protecting a one-run lead. As if the previous day's events had never occurred, Cecil retires all four batters he faces, propelling the Terps to a 5-4 upset over the 23rd-ranked team in the country.
"I don't think there's anything worse than giving up a walk-off walk, but you've got to get over stuff like that," Cecil said. "It's part of being a closer. You've got to have a short term memory about that kind of stuff."
Such is the life of a closer, the pitcher on the mound at the end of a close game, called on to shut the door on the opposition. On any level, whether it's collegiate ball, the minors or the majors, the ability to put past failures behind and move on is critical, and Cecil, Maryland's fireman with a bulldog mentality, has just given scouts yet another reason to keep him in mind when constructing the top of their draft boards come this June.
Cecil, a preseason Baseball America All-American whom scouts project to be a first-round pick in this year's draft, is a 6-foot 2-inch, 225-pound lefthander who features a fastball, which can reach about 95 miles per hour, and a nasty slider. Yet while he is an intimidating force on the mound, he's an easy-going, fun-loving, humble leader off of it.
A Dunkirk native, Cecil started playing baseball at an age when most are still working out the kinks in memorizing the ABCs. As his mother Linda said, "he's always had a ball in the glove on his hand since he was two years old."
He wasn't always just a pitcher. He pitched and played first base through his sophomore year at DeMatha High School before solely becoming a hurler for his final two pre-collegiate years.
The evolution of his game didn't end there, though. After being named Louisville Slugger Player of the Year for the state of Maryland his senior year at DeMatha, Cecil came to the University of Maryland with the notion that he was going to help solidify the starting pitching rotation. However, an unforeseen change made by Maryland pitching coach Jim Farr took Cecil's game to the next level.
"[Cecil] was expecting to be in a starter's role, but Coach Farr thought he would make our team better by using him at the end of the game as a closer," said Maryland head coach Terry Rupp.
"It's worked out really well for us. Knowing that you've got a horse like that to go to really shortens the game. Our goal every time out is to get to the seventh inning with the lead, because we know we can turn the ball over to him."
At the onset the transition wasn't easy for Cecil.
"It was tough, because I was conditioned to be a starter," he said. "The first couple times out my arm didn't feel that good. Once I started conditioning as a closer, things were fine."
Since becoming the closer, Cecil, a criminal justice major, has etched his name in the Maryland record books. He broke the all-time mark for saves earlier this season when he notched his 16th in a 1-0 win over Gardner-Webb University. After saving eight more games throughout the season, his school record now stands at 23. Additionally, Cecil bested former teammate Seth Overbey's single-season appearances record when he took the mound for the 30th time in 2007 against North Carolina.
"I've always had the mentality to be a closer, to be that bulldog, to get out onto the mound and give it all you've got for a couple of innings," Cecil said.
His tough and stringent work ethic comes from his biggest influence and role model, his father Duane. A former Marine and Brett's first baseball coach, Duane always taught Brett to discipline himself.
"One thing he's always told me was, `that other guy's working a lot harder than you are.' That's what you've got to think, and you've got to want to work harder than him," Brett said.
Cecil's hard work paid its largest dividends last summer when he was selected to play in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. The 10-team league is comprised of the best collegiate baseball players in the country, and games are frequented by Major League scouts and executives.
The summer provided Cecil with a chance to showcase his talents and, as the closer for the Orleans Cardinals, he flourished under the spotlight.
During the 44-game season he finished third in the league in saves with 11, just two behind the league leader. In 29 innings pitched he recorded 40 strikeouts. His record was 1-0 with a miniscule ERA of 2.17. Those numbers garnered him an invitation to the All-Star game, where he pitched a perfect inning while recording a strikeout.
"I didn't expect to go up there and do that well," Cecil said. "I think after the first couple times out I got the nerves out and it was smooth sailing. The one thing I was really happy about up there was my consistency. My velocity and being able to throw pitches for strikes was a big confidence booster."
Cecil's consistency and velocity were two reasons that the renowned baseball publication Baseball America ranked him as the sixth best prospect on the Cape.
While with Orleans, Cecil also got the chance to play alongside one of his Maryland teammates, junior shortstop Steve Braun.
"It was great to be able to carry that friendship and develop as teammates," Braun said. "I think he took his game to a whole other stage out there and really showcased himself to the entire world."
"It's awesome just to play with a player of his caliber and to see the way he goes about his business," Braun elaborated. "You can be a great player and not have a great work ethic, but it's nice to see someone work as hard as him and have the great ability that he has."
Don't think that Cecil is all work and no play, though. As serious as Cecil is when it comes to school and baseball, he loves to joke around and even talk some smack when he gets a chance. Take this example:
Prior to a weekend series at Georgia Tech, Cecil spoke with one of his teammates in Orleans, Georgia Tech slugger and top prospect Matt Wieters.
"I told him, `If I get in a save situation and there's nobody on base and we're up by more than one run, then I'm going to throw you three strikes right down the middle of the plate and see what you can do with them,'" Cecil said. "We'll see what happens."
The fun-loving nature of the comments speaks volumes about Cecil's character.
"He's a goof ball off the mound, he likes to have fun and relax," Braun said. "But when he gets on that mound he's a completely different person. There's no messing around. He wants the ball in his hand when the game is on the line, and you've got to respect that."
Cecil, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, said that during high school he tried to mold himself like pitchers Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and David Wells. Ever since his shift to closer, he's tried to model his game after one of baseball's best closers, Mariano Rivera.
"Mariano's been a big guy in my life," Cecil said.
Even though Cecil has Yankee loyalties, he was able to put those aside and relish in one of his greatest moments--when the Cape League All-Stars were honored during a pregame ceremony at Boston's Fenway Park. He was introduced on the field before a Red Sox-Indians game, and also got the chance to speak with a number of major leaguers.
"I met [Red Sox closer Jonathan] Papelbon, Craig Hansen, Mike Lowell, saw Big Papi [David Ortiz] up close and got to do a workout for the Red Sox--it was a great experience," Cecil said.
No matter where Cecil ends up after his collegiate career is finished, whether it's Boston, New York, or anywhere else, he's got a chance to be the most successful Terrapin in professional baseball, which includes the likes of Cincinnati Reds hurler Eric Milton, New York Mets pitcher Steve Schmoll, and recent draftees Overbey and Ben Pfinsgraff.
And while Cecil, a self-proclaimed "mama's boy," still puts butterflies in Linda's stomach every time he enters the game - his mother commented that "every time he's out on that mound my stomach still hurts, and that's been from day one" - he has instilled confidence amongst his teammates and coaches that he's going to get the job done when he toes the rubber.
"He's a guy you want with the ball at the end of the game," Rupp said. "He's a power pitcher, and he can strike guys out. If he gets behind in the count he can really challenge guys. He doesn't have to nibble on the corners; he can just go after people."
- By Avi Creditor ('07)
