Missouri baseball coach Tim Jamieson knew he was getting a special recruit in Brett Bond.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pounder was a highly sought-after local recruit who also received some attention from fellow Southeastern Conference competitor Ole Miss. Out of Westminster Christian Academy, Bond declared his allegiance to Mizzou early and never looked back.
Jamieson expected to have his catcher of the future. Little did he expect that Bond would become the Tigers’ primary force in the heart of the order.
“Brett’s going to play the same way no matter what day it is,” Jamieson said. “He’s a very confident person.”
Bond burst onto the scene this year in a big way. He blasted his first career home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 victory over Sam Houston State, an NCAA Regional team last season. A sea of teammates mobbed the freshman as he crossed home plate after the biggest hit of his baseball career. It was Bond’s second walk-off home run at any level.
“One through nine, our guys go up there with an attitude where they want to hit the ball and hit it hard every time,” Bond said. “I just went up and tried to have a little fun.”
The following day, Bond continued to swing a hot bat, launching his second home run in as many days in a 5-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Jamieson said the wins over Sam Houston State and Corpus Christi, with Bond as a central piece, were critical for the young, developing team.
“Timely hitting is so important, and that’s been the difference between this year and last year,” Jamieson said. “The bottom line is that guys have been getting it done. I think Sam Houston State and Corpus Christi were our two biggest tests, and we passed both of them.”
Bond, along with starting pitchers Reggie McClain and Tanner Houck and shortstop Ryan Howard, were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Kleberg Bank College Classic. Mizzou took home the hardware in the tournament, finishing with a 3-1 record.
However, even though he seemed to mask it, the transition period for Bond between high school and college ball has not been entirely smooth. In summer ball, Bond was slotted all over the diamond. Becoming strictly a college catcher would be a big jump for him.
“Coming in, I knew that I had to work really hard to try and earn a spot,” Bond said. “(Graduate assistant coach) Trevor Coleman has really helped me to just relax back there and learn how to breathe and use my eyes. He’s taught me to be confident and know that I’m fast enough to block balls.”
Bond believes that the learning curve he has gone under has helped tremendously with his development behind the plate. At practice on Wednesday, before the team left for a three-game series against Illinois-Chicago, Bond caught freshman pitcher Bryce Montes de Oca, a mid-90s flamethrower. It was one of Bond’s first experiences catching someone with that speed.
Catching a pitcher like Montes de Oca is doable, but Bond said he has grown off the field as well.
“I’ve been here just since summer and this is the most I’ve ever learned in my entire life,” Bond said. “When it comes to baseball and life in general, it’s been a great learning experience.”
With the Tigers sitting pretty at 10-1, the team’s best start since 1985, Bond has little to complain about. He said he thinks the Tigers will be a force in the conference this season.
“We’re still putting the pieces together, but we have a lot to show,” Bond said. “I think once we get that puzzle solved, we’ll have a great season in the SEC.”
