After being drafted by the Chicago White Sox, former N.C. State catcher Brett Austin begins his journey into professional baseball with the Kannapolis Intimidators in the South Atlantic League.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the White Sox and the Kannapolis Intimidators,” the Charlotte, N.C. native said. “It is nice being close to home as well. I’ve got family showing up at the games here, and it’s nice to see them every once in a while, so I can’t complain.”
Chicago selected the Wolfpack co-captain in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick in the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft after selecting former State left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon with the third overall pick the day before. Rodon has yet to reach a contract agreement with the White Sox.
“I was a little relieved that it was finally over because I was getting worried there on the second day,” Austin said. “The White Sox called me at about 12 p.m. that day and jokingly said that they wanted to keep me and Carlos together, but I didn’t think too much about it. Later on, they called me and told me they took me in the fourth round. It’s cool that I’ll probably get to catch Carlos for a few more years, but he needs to hurry up and sign.”
Austin finished the 2014 college season with a team-high .344 batting average along with five home runs, 31 RBI, 74 runs and 12 doubles. Despite his success at the plate, State finished the year with a 32-23 overall record and a 13-17 record in the conference, well short of its No. 5 preseason ranking.
“Personally, I thought [the season] was a letdown,” Austin said. “We didn’t do what we were capable of doing for a talented team we had, but that’s baseball, and those kinds of things happen.”
As of Saturday, Austin has played in six games with Kannapolis and boasts a .208 batting average with four runs, two RBI and two doubles.
“It’s been a little bit of a transition getting used to the speed of the game,” Austin said. “It speeds up on you with all these guys throwing hard, and I’ve been learning to relax and slow things down. I’m working hard, getting better every day, and taking everything day by day.”
Although Rodon is holding out on signing his contract, Austin has a familiar face with him on the Intimidators team. Kannapolis infielder Christian Stringer played with Rice when the Pack defeated the Owls in the 2013 NCAA Raleigh Super Regional to advance to the College World Series. Stringer, the White Sox’s 16th round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft, hit three home runs and had four RBI in the two-game series and currently sports a .280 average with three homers and 12 RBI for Kannapolis.
“The first day I met him, we introduced ourselves, and I noticed he looked really familiar,” Austin said. “He said that we played against each other in the Super Regional. I gave him a hard time about that, but that was a funny moment when we found out we played against each other.”
With his college career behind him, Austin continues to look ahead, but he cherishes his time as a member of the Pack.
“N.C. State was a blast,” Austin said. “I had a wonderful three years there. I needed that time to mature physically, on and off the field. I can’t say enough good things about N.C. State, especially going to the College World Series. That was an once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it’s time to start the next chapter of my life.”
