SPASH and UW-SP grad playing for Mountain Ducks in southwest Missouri
By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Former Stevens Point Area Senior High School and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point outfielder Brian Nelson is giving himself one more shot to impress professional baseball scouts.
The Point native, who started his summer playing for the independent league Madison Black Wolfs, is now with another indy-league team, the Ozark Mountain Ducks of Missouri.
This is the first time Nelson is playing baseball for an out of state and he's hoping to catch the eyes of a major league organization.
"That's basically why I'm doing this - to hopefully link up with a professional organization," Nelson said before leaving for a long two-week road trip with the team. "For me, it's kind of a one summer thing. If I hook on, that's my goal. (If it doesn't work out), then I'll just have to go on with things."
The way things have gone for Nelson's team since he arrived on June 25 has been promising. He joined the Mountain Ducks 25 games into the season and Ozark has been on a tear since, winning nine out of 10. That streak pulled the Mountain Ducks into fifth place of the Texas-Louisiana Baseball League (TLBL) with an 18-23 record.
"When I got here, the team wasn't doing very well. I'm not saying it's because of me, but we're playing well," Nelson said.
Nelson has appeared in seven games so far and is hitting .273. His best day came July 7 against Lafayette, Louisiana where he had 4 RBI and a triple in a 17-7 win.
"Right away, it started a little slow," Nelson said. "I've been playing a lot of leftfield. Every once in a while I'll get a start in center."
Nelson has found somewhat of a mentor during his stay in southwest Missouri. Fellow outfielder Sergio Cairo, who has played for three teams at the Triple-A minor league level, is giving him some helpful hints both in the field and at the plate.
"Oh, it really does help," Nelson said of Cairo's tutoring. "He's helped me with hitting and situations."
Before playing baseball in the summer, Nelson did some teaching of his own. While he finished his degree at UW-SP in sociology, Nelson was an assistant coach with the Pointers. During his stint working with hitters and outfielders, UW-SP won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and finished with a 31-11 record.
In 1998, his senior season with the Pointers, Nelson was First-Team All-WIAC and First-Team All-Midwest Region while leading the nation in doubles with 24. He was the first in UW-SP history to lead the nation in any category.
After UW-SP's 1999 campaign, Nelson played with the Madison Black Wolfs. But when the Black Wolfs decided to go another direction, Ozark called and asked Nelson to join the club.
Nelson, who also played for the Wausau Woodchucks two years ago, said there isn't much difference in level of play in Wisconsin versus the TLBL.
"There's good players, but the competition is pretty equal to Wisconsin. There's some good pitching. It's comparable to what it's like here," he said.
Nelson's team is also playing in a new stadium, which he said is attracting crowds close to 5,000. The park, named Field of Ducks, is an obvious takeoff on the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams."
When the Mountain Ducks are playing at home, Nelson is living with a host family in Missouri.
"The people here are real nice. Being a pro baseball player, they go out of their way," Nelson said.
Portage County residents don't have to strain too much to follow Nelson's season in Missouri. The Mountain Ducks have their own website on the Internet with statistics and a schedule at http://www.ozarkducksbaseball.com.