HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – When it comes to being a collegiate athlete, Brett Tharp is a true step backwards.
“Hard, somber, old school.”
Those are the words Bridgewater College baseball head coach Ben Spotts uses to describe Tharp, who is doing something rare in modern collegiate athletics: excelling at two different sports.
“At first I was just looking for a school where I could play football and that’s what I went for,” said Tharp, a senior in Bridgewater. “I came here for one of Bridgewater’s last recruiting days and they really liked me so I decided to come here.”
Tharp continued, “And then I was playing summer (baseball) at home over the summer and I got in touch with Curt Kendall, the (former) baseball coach, and he came and watched me play a game and he said I did might help them.”
Tharp was a member of the Bridgewater football and baseball teams for four years. He recorded 207 tackles, five sacks and four interceptions while earning All-American honors as a linebacker on the football field. On the baseball diamond, Tharp is a two-way player who is part of the daily lineup and serves as the Eagles’ closer on the mound.
“I love it,” Tharp said. “I’m glad I made the decision to do this. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to play both football and baseball here in Bridgewater, and I’ve had a lot of friends that I probably wouldn’t have made if I hadn’t played two sports.”
Competing and excelling in both sports wouldn’t be possible if Tharp didn’t have the collaboration and collaboration of his two head coaches.
“From a football perspective, Brett was always about baseball,” said Scott Lemn, Bridgewater’s head football coach. “Basically, after the football season ended, he became a baseball player.”
Spotts added, “”The expectation of me has always been… during football season… to play football and all I have to do is just check in with (Brett) and say hello… and watch (Tharp) play on Saturday. “
While Tharp’s college football career is over, the Hardy County (WV) native still competes on the baseball field where the Eagles hope to challenge for the ODAC Tournament Championship. They are currently tied for fourth in the ODAC rating.
“I’m just sucking it up,” Tharp said. “Hopefully we can walk into this postseason and go far.”
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.