Home cooking on the diamond

The hype is real. Baseball America rated Heath Quinn the 48th best college draft prospect before this season, his junior campaign at Samford University.

His list of preseason accolades is a bit ridiculous. It includes second-team Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American, second-team NCBWA Preseason All-American, and a first-team All-SoCon Preseason Selection.

Last year, Quinn batted for a .340 average with 14 home runs and 56 runs batted in as a sophomore. He would be eligible to enter the MLB Draft following this year, but said, “I’m just focusing on the season and trying to help out the team win any way I can.”

“He’s obviously turned into a great player,” Samford coach Casey Dunn said. “We expected him to be really good, but to do the things that he’s done — and I don’t know that you ever expect anybody to do those type things — he’s definitely exceeded expectations, and I don’t mean that to slight what we expected him to do when he got here.” 

Teammate and fellow Oak Mountain High School product Richard Greene was also named a second-team All-SoCon selection as the Bulldogs’ starting catcher.

“Richard brings a level of stability. He brings some composure and you know what you’re going to get. He’s a solid kid that everyone on the team really does respect, not just as a baseball player, but as a person,” Dunn said.

Greene arrived at Samford a year before Quinn, and quickly took the blooming star under his wing.

“When I first got here, it was good to see a familiar face. He’s a year older than me, so he was kind of a mentor for me. He’s kind of the guy I leaned on when I got here, so it’s been great having him here,” Quinn said.

The pull from home is also a real thing, and certainly not a bad thing. Playing so close to home has been a real advantage for the pair. Parents are at every home game, and a road trip is not out of the question either.

“It’s definitely great,” Quinn said. “My parents come watch me play. They actually travel to a lot of the road games too. Anytime I want to go home and see my parents, it’s great to live so close.”

It’s not hard to lure Greene back to the house occasionally, because the temptation to eschew campus dining options in lieu of a made-from-scratch meal is appealing.

“It’s a blessing, and any time I can go home for a nice cooked meal,” he said.

Family and old friends also show up in the stands at Joe Lee Griffin Field, as Greene sees a new face in the crowd nearly every game. More often than not, they see Greene and Quinn make plays for the people who can say, “I knew them when …”