DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710080162

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 14   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY GENE MORRIS, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   88 lines

GREAT BRIDGE GROOMS ANOTHER PROSPECT CATCHER BRIAN ANDERSON IS SIFTING THROUGH THE COLLEGES, HOPING TO MAKE AN EARLY DECISION.

WHEN ASKED to recall his statistics from last baseball season, Brian Anderson's response comes as quickly as a Randy Johnson fastball.

``I hit .424 with 35 RBIs,'' says Anderson, the starting catcher on the Great Bridge team that won the Eastern Region championship.

Sitting across from Anderson in the living room of their Great Bridge home, his father, Doug, is quick to correct him.

``You had 39 RBIs,'' says the elder Anderson, who played football and baseball for Kellam in the 1970s.

Tracking Anderson's stats is just one of the things that his father and his mother, Julie, do to help him in his baseball endeavors.

``I put myself on the teams by my athletic ability, but my parents have always looked out for me, been there to take me to games, and to pay for things financially,'' says Brian Anderson, a 17-year-old senior. ``And they are at every home game.''

Lately, helping Brian field telephone calls from college coaches has been added to his parents' list. He is one of the area's top baseball prospects and is he's being courted by several schools. As the interest in him grows, so do the number of calls. Virginia, William and Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, and George Mason are among those trying to sign him.

Anderson, a lefthanded hitter, hopes to make a decision during the early signing period, which begins Nov. 12.

``On the average night, I get two to three calls,'' says Anderson, who has visited several campuses.

Another possibility hovering over Anderson is the major-league amateur draft in June. However, he says that ``after last year,'' he doesn't expect to be distracted by the presence of professional scouts. That's because Anderson saw first-hand the hoopla surrounding then-teammates Michael Cuddyer and John Curtice, both of whom were taken in the first round of last June's draft.

An only child, Anderson began playing baseball at age 6. Since then, his skills on the field have earned him a spot on several elite teams.

Doug Anderson remembers first getting a glimpse of his son's talent when Brian was tearing up tee-ball at age 7.

``He could hit the ball, catch the ball and throw the ball when a lot of kids were having trouble doing it, and he was good at it,'' says the proud papa.

While some other players who showed early potential have dropped by the wayside, Anderson has continued to develop.

Three summers ago, he was selected to play on one of the area's first Amateur Athletic Union teams. Anderson was the only 14-year-old on the 15-and-under Blasters. In 1995, as the only ninth-grader on his Chesapeake Post 280 American Legion team that made it to the state championship game, he batted .500 and did not strike out during the regular season.

As a sophomore, he was the regular third baseman at Great Bridge and his play earned him All-Southeastern District honors. Last season, after the previous catcher had graduated, Anderson moved behind the plate and was named to the All-Tidewater second team.

Greg Jennings, Great Bridge's coach last year, felt that Anderson handled the switch to catcher well, despite the fact that he hadn't played the position regularly at the varsity level.

``Brian never said one word about it, he just came to play and he won the job,'' said Jennings, who led the team to the state quarterfinals. ``He was the glue to the team, and he made as much a contribution as anyone else.''

Last summer, Anderson played for various teams comprised of top high-school players from Maine to Florida. One team, put together by the Chicago Cubs, sent 18 players to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for the Eastern United States Baseball Showcase, a four-game tournament. There, Anderson and his teammates competed against other top players sponsored by major-league teams.

Looking ahead to his senior season, Anderson has his sights on a return to the state tournament. After that, he hopes to be able to step in and help a Division I team, or, perhaps, a pro team, immediately.

``I'd like to be a starting catcher, and hopefully play a big role in the offense,'' says Anderson, who sees his ability to hit to all fields and his unusual speed for a catcher as two key assets.

As for Doug and Julie Anderson, they plan on being fixtures at as many of their son's games as possible.

``We've missed very few of his events,'' says Doug Anderson. ``It'll depend on where he ends up, but we'll do the best we can to get to his games.''

After all, someone needs to keep track of those RBIs. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER

Brian Anderson played third base for Chesapeake Post 280 this

summer, but will return to behind the plate for the Wildcats in the

spring. KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

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