SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With an eye to the future, Santa Clara baseball introduces Rory Graf-Brennen of Ballard High School in Seattle Washington.
"I chose Santa Clara University because I will play for a great baseball team with a really good coaching staff and at the same time get a very high level of education," said Graf-Brennen. "I really like that Santa Clara is sincerely committed to having the athletes graduate, not just win, and coach Dan O'Brien has a player graduation rate that is off the charts. Also, Santa Clara has a great tutoring system set up for students and has smaller classes than many colleges. In addition, I really like the campus. It's in a beautiful spot and is small enough to get around easily. It is the perfect place to mature greatly in baseball and get the best education."
His high school team improved from near the bottom of the standings to second place in the Washington King County 4A conference. The team took third place in the conference tournament.
As a junior in 2012, Graf-Brennen hit .339 with a .541 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging percentage while hitting two home runs, placing fourth in the league in RBI and leading the league with 25 walks. He was named Second-Team All-League for his performance and was named the No. 6 prospect for the class of 2013 in Washington by Baseball Northwest. His sophomore year saw a batting line of .304/.403/.429 and an All-League Honorable Mention. He was the No. 6 prospect in Washington for the class of 2013 according to Baseball Northwest. As a freshman he hit .302/.403./547 with one home run.
Graf-Brennen was a member of the Baden Baseball Club in 2011 and 2012 while serving as the leadoff hitter and second baseman in 2012. He was also a member of the 2012 Cardinals Fall Scout team.
Graf-Brennen was a counselor at the Ballard Boys and Girls Club and worked at five-week summer baseball camps from 2008-12.
His hobbies include watching college basketball and baseball, studying Japanese, Japanese baseball and culture and learning new things.