BRETT LANG WILL CONTINUE BASEBALL CAREER WITH THE FORTY-NINERS

Ardrey Kell High School senior Brett Lang has always let his bat do the talking on the baseball field.  Instead of telling folks how far he can hit a baseball, Brett has always chosen to walk up to the plate and swing with all his power.  The 17 year old son of Larry and Lori Lang recently accomplished his goal of playing college baseball by accepting a scholarship offer from UNC Charlotte and Head Coach Loren Hibbs. 

Brett has worked extremely hard the last few seasons as a member of the Ardrey Kell Knights team and the South Charlotte Panthers showcase team.  Brett is a catcher and he has labored away over the last year to raise his defensive skills to the level of his offensive power.  A hot bat this summer led many teams to make official contact in the month of July.  In the end UNC Charlotte won the recruiting battle over Brett’s favorite team from childhood, Kansas.

“In making the decision there were several factors in the process of choosing Charlotte,” said Brett. “The fact that Kansas is 17 hours away might have been the deciding factor. My dad who has taught me the game and watched me since t-ball, and my mom who supports me in every aspect of my life would not be able to watch me play. My sister (Kalie, a softball player)  is nine hours away and we don’t get to see her as much as we would like when she is at Northwest Florida. Charlotte just felt right, I like the coaching staff and everything the campus has to offer. I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to play at two very talented schools and they both happen to be my favorite.”

“I was born in Kansas. I have followed and loved the Jayhawks my whole life. My uncle Gary Lang played shortstop at the University of Kansas where he was the team MVP his senior year. He gave me his practice shirts when I was little and still have them.  It was neat to see the facilities and meet the coaches on my recruiting trip in July. They followed me in Atlanta and I built a great relationship with Coach Szefc.”                    

Fortunately for Charlotte, those heartstrings were broken and Brett chose to become a Forty-Niner.

Interestingly enough, Brett’s commitment completed a circle for him and two of his best friends, Brett Austin and Logan Ratledge.  The three longtime friends all played together at South Charlotte Middle School. Brett Austin went on to Providence and Logan and Brett Lang to Ardrey Kell.  Brett Austin and Logan both made college commitments a couple of months ago to North Carolina State.  With Brett Lang’s commitment, the trio of friends will now all play Division 1 College Baseball.

“It is very exciting, Brett and Logan have been my best friends since the sixth grade and we have been together ever since. We all push each other, practiced together and strive to be better than one another. We are very competitive, even if it’s a little game of pool basketball. Knowing that all three of us are going to D-1 programs is very exciting because we have done it together and the hard work is paying off.”

 Brett and Logan were the lone 10th graders on the North Carolina State 4A Championship team in 2009.  This memory stands out as Brett’s favorite to date.

 “My greatest memory in baseball was when my high school team Ardrey Kell won the 2009 NC4A state championship. It was a great accomplishment and being able to be on the team as a sophomore was very exciting. The team fought hard and it was a long road. Being the first team to win a state championship at Ardrey Kell was priceless.”  

With the college commitment in the rear view mirror, Brett now has his sights set on another state title.

 “My goals are to lead our high school team to the conference championship which is very difficult in the Southwestern 4a conference and win another state championship.”

Ardrey Kell Head Coach Hal Bagwell is looking forward to Brett playing a leading role for the Knights this season.

"Brett is an outstanding young man who goes about baseball and academics the right way. He has the ability to be a major force as a catcher.  His greatest strength is his ability to hit the baseball.  He projects big time as a power hitter and he also possesses tremendous arm strength.  Brett has worked very hard to accomplish this goal and he will be one of our leadersnext season as a three year letterman.  Brett is highly coachable and a great teammate and genuinely funny to be around. The sky is the limit for this young man."

Reflecting back on the last week and the commitment to UNC Charlotte, Brett asked if he could thank a few folks that have helped him reach his goal.

“I would like to thank my coaches, Coach Hal Bagwell who has helped me through this whole process and teaching me the game for the past 3 years at Ardrey Kell high School. He has been a big part of my life in not only becoming a better player but a better person. Don Hutchins with the South Charlotte Panthers,  the most generous and giving individual I have ever met. As well as Jake Robbins and Jeff Schaefer from CBC, they helped me get started and provided a great foundation. Thank you.”

The South Charlotte Sports Report salutes Brett Lang.  It has been very exciting for us to watch him grow from someone we first met in 6th grade to a rising senior with a college commitment in hand.  Good Luck Brett!