Katy High's Brome ready for next step with Red Raiders

By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
Posted 7/28/21

“That’s exactly why I wanted to go to Tech, that’s exactly what I want,” Brome said. “They compete everyday and that’s the type of environment I want to be in. I wouldn’t be going there if I didn’t want to play at the next level.”

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Katy High's Brome ready for next step with Red Raiders

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The recruitment process wasn’t always easy for Ryan Brome.

Despite having over a .400 batting average his junior year, he was not getting recruited like he expected going into his senior season.

“I had been hitting really well going all the way back to the summer after my sophomore year,” Brome said. “I had the numbers but the exposure didn’t really come. A lot of that has to do with COVID-19 and no one being able to come out and see people in person. I had to stay patient, keep a good mindset and hope something would come along.”

The 6-foot 2-inch 202-pound Katy High graduate had a strong senior season, where he hit .442, had 35 RBIs and six home runs. But hadn’t received the attention he thought he deserved from power five programs. He held off on signing with any school going into the summer and played the waiting game.

That patience finally paid off, as Brome signed to play at Texas Tech University in Lubbock on July 16.

“It was a really good feeling when they offered me a scholarship,” Brome said. “They stayed true to their word. They had told me that after the draft they wanted me up for an official visit, and they called me the night of the last round of the draft. I was in California and had plans to go to Disneyland, but I immediately canceled so I could get there.”

The Red Raiders and head coach Tim Tadlock had been courting Brome since the beginning of the season, offering him a walk-on opportunity earlier in the year. After the MLB draft scholarships opened up they invited him for an official visit and offered him a scholarship.

Brome, who had been verbally committed to Alvin Junior College, jumped at the opportunity.

“Everything there was so awesome,” he said. “You can’t go to Texas Tech and walk around that campus and that field and not fall in love with it. It’s just awesome. Everything from the trainers to the coaches to the weight room was just top notch.”

Brome appreciated that Tadlock had kept in contact with him since the beginning of the season.

“It was tough but I wouldn’t change anything,” Brome said. “This is where I want to be and I’m so happy it turned out the way it did. Texas Tech is legit.”

He was drawn to the program by its success on the diamond and with sending players to the next level. Texas Tech has made the College World Series four out of the past six years and had nine players and four commits selected in this year’s MLB draft.

“That’s exactly why I wanted to go to Tech, that’s exactly what I want,” Brome said. “They compete everyday and that’s the type of environment I want to be in. I wouldn’t be going there if I didn’t want to play at the next level.”

With so many departures from the program this year, it opens the door for Brome, who can play both first base and in the outfield, to potentially get playing time as a freshman.

“They play the best guys on the team, I just have to show them that I can be one of those,” he said. “If I can get in there and hit the 98-99 mile an hour fastballs that they are going to be throwing in intrasquad scrimmages and get stronger and faster then I think I have a shot to play. But I know it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s all superstars that play there, it’s not like high school anymore.”

Brome, who moved to Texas from Washington before the start of his freshman year, feels that his time at Katy High has prepared him for the next step.

“Coach Mac (Tom McPherson) does a really good job of getting us ready. A lot of people have a love hate relationship with him but over my four years here I really learned to love him. He’s a great coach, you just have to figure out how he coaches. Once I did, he took my game to a new level and made me excel on the diamond and on the mental side too. It did a lot for me.”

Ryan Brome, baseball, Katy High, Texas Tech, Tom McPherson, Tim Tadlock, NCAA