Jul. 11—MORGANTOWN — Former Preston High School and Morgantown Post 2 pitcher and Class AAAA all-state selection, Brady McNew, recently announced his commitment to pitch for Potomac State University after spending his freshman season playing for Penn State Fayette.

“Last year went very well, I had a nice experience, ” McNew said. “I got some good innings for a freshman, and I felt like I had a decent role on the team. I didn’t really know what to expect when I first arrived, so I’m super pleased with the time I was able to get. My teammates and coaches were all great, my decision was more of a financial one when it came to my education.”

Although Brady has now decided to continue his playing career, before his announcement to attend Potomac State, he had decided to hang up his glove and stop competing to focus on his studies.

“After my freshman season, I initially had full intentions to be finished playing baseball, ” he said. “I think after working through my whole life plan, I just started to get burnt out a little and wanted a change of scenery. Although in the moment I truly didn’t want to keep playing, I knew that if I quit, I would regret it. At the end of the day, I want to keep playing as long as I’m able because here in a few years, that opportunity isn’t going to present itself anymore and I won’t have the choice to make.”

McNew says one thing he loved about attending PSU-Fayette was the connections he made with his friends and teammates.

“The thing I took away most from my experience there was that I met so many people that I’m going to know for the rest of my life, ” Brady said. “Guys that are going to be in my wedding and that I’m going to talk to every day going forward, that was an underrated part of my experience last year.”

It didn’t take long for Brady’s phone to ring after he announced his recommitment to the game he loves.

“As soon as I announced that I wanted to continue playing, Coach (Doug) Little sent me a message the next day, ” he said. “He asked me if I would be interested in coming down for a visit, and I immediately fell in love with the program and the school, and committed that same day. There was a lot of excitement that day.”

Another thing Brady says he’s excited for is to team with some of his former teammates from the past. Former MHS reliever Judd Messerly is set to join the Catamounts in the fall, and former UHS and Post 2 outfielder Gabe Templeton will also be a sophomore on the roster.

“That’s really special to me, ” Brady said. “There are some familiar faces that I’ve played with forever, and also a bunch of guys that I’ve competed against for a long time. I’m very excited to link back up with them and share the field again to compete.”