Most fledgling ballplayers grow up pitching into chain-link
fences, fielding grounders off their garage doors, or constantly
searching for the other half of a game of catch.
Senior third baseman Brandon Averill was luckier than that. Two
years after Averill was born, the third baseman’s parents
gave him a brother to play ball with.
“It was great knowing that I always had somebody that I
could go to the field with and hit, or do something with every
day,” Averill said of his brother, Erik. “I never had
to pick up the phone and search for somebody.”
Both Averills continue to play baseball at the collegiate level.
While Brandon has been a Bruin for the last four years, Erik
decided to pitch for Arizona State.
The two Pac-10 teams will meet for the first time this coming
weekend in a three-game series. Chances are that Brandon could
stare down his brother from the batter’s box, though it would
not be the first time he has done so.
“Last year when we went to ASU, I faced him in one
at-bat,” Brandon said.
“And he hit me.
“He was trying to come inside to get me out, and the ball
got away from him a little bit.”
Both Brandon and Erik enjoyed success growing up on the baseball
diamond.
Brandon still cites his final high school game as one of his
greatest athletic achievements. With Brandon at third and Erik
starting on the hill, the Averill brothers led Villa Park High
School to the 2000 CIF State Championship.
“Not only did we accomplish something that you play for
the entire season,” Averill said. “But I did it with my
brother. Playing at the same time as him in a game as important as
that is something that most brothers don’t get to experience.
It was unbelievable.”
Both Brandon and Erik have seen success beyond their CIF
Championship.
Brandon, a four-year varsity player for Gary Adams’
baseball squad, holds a .311 lifetime batting average and has
belted 21 round-trippers in his tenure at UCLA.
The senior did not truly emerge as a force in the Bruin lineup
until his sophomore year, when he started 38 of the last 40 games
at third base, posting a .310 average with six home runs.
After beginning his junior season as a pinch hitter, he hit .397
in Pac-10 competition, good enough for eighth in the conference. He
also reached double-digits in home runs with 10.
Later in the 2003 season, Brandon became the first Bruin since
Garrett Atkins in 2000 to hit for the cycle. He completed the
baseball rarity on May 25 against Washington State.
Though never a standout player statistically, different
attributes have made Brandon one of UCLA’s most valuable
players.
Brandon’s relentless work ethic got him elected co-captain
by his teammates in his senior year.
“I was honored to be selected co-captain,” he said.
“I think that the guys feed off my work ethic, which is
probably why I was selected. I am really lucky to have a co-captain
like Chad Concolino, who can really get guys going with words and
speeches. I just work hard and try to lead that way.”
Adams agrees with his team’s selection of Brandon as a
co-captain.
“Brandon is a guy who is never down; he is either getting
up or standing up.”
It’s a great attitude to have and that is why he has been
successful his entire career. Brandon wants to win, and he will do
anything he can to help the team. He is one of the best team
players I have ever coached,” the 30-year coaching veteran
said.
Whereas Brandon did not find stardom until late in his career,
Erik was making headlines at ASU immediately.
After posting an 8-2 record with a 3.88 ERA as a freshman,
Brandon’s younger brother was named a freshman All-American
by Baseball America.
The sibling rivalry has been a positive experience for
Brandon.
“Obviously, there is a lot of talking that goes on between
us, especially now that we are directly competing,” Brandon
said. “Christmas is always a fun battle.”
“It is pretty cool though,” he added. “Erik is
one of my best friends. We talk all of the time because we can
relate on a lot of different things.
“We both know how to compete, so we compete with each
other. We set off and encourage each other more than we battle each
other.”