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Brandon Weir graduated from Lincoln County High School last Friday, but he’s not given up being a Patriot.

The LCHS senior confirmed that fact when he signed his letter of commitment to play for the University of the Cumberlands baseball team – also called the Patriots.

Weir, the son of Steve and Kim Weir of Stanford, had been courted by several other schools, including Pikeville, Alice Lloyd and Union, and had considered Eastern Kentucky University, but it was the Cumberlands that Weir was sold on.

“It’s a mixture of all the components,” said Weir. “Academically, athletically and the location of Cumberland all just fit together perfectly.”

The fact that Cumberlands, an NAIA program, would have a few openings for pitchers in the upcoming season didn’t hurt.

“I talked to Coach (Brad) Shelton numerous times and he’s informed me that I have a good chance of getting a lot of playing time my freshman year,” Weir said. “I wanted to find a place where I could get a lot of playing time my freshman year so I thought this was the best place for me.”

It wasn’t just the quick playing time possibilities that sold Weir on Cumberlands. Shelton’s early interest in the Lincoln hurler helped seal the deal.

“All the colleges were pretty dead even. They all had great coaches, wonderful people, that made it tough for me to say no to some of those schools, but Coach Shelton offered me last year,” he said. “I think that says something for a school to put out an offer that far ahead. That kind of told me the confidence the coach had in me and I’m really grateful for that.”

While at Lincoln, Weir has compiled some impressive numbers. The four-year starter has broken the career record for strikeouts as a pitcher (183) with 253 this season. He also holds the record for most innings pitched in a career with 191. Weir, who also played second, is the leader on his team in wins (4), total strikeouts (95), innings pitched (57), ERA (2.31), batting average (.500), on base percentage (.610), hits (34), doubles (12), home runs (2), RBIs (16), runs scored (18), and stolen bases (7).

Weir also received honorable mention for iHigh Kentucky Top 100 baseball players for 2010. During his 2009 campaign, Brandon was named a 2nd team All-American at the USSSA All-American games in Orlando, FL. He also earned a spot on the All-Region team for the USSSA All-American games, the Silver Slugger Award for best batting average (.408), and honorable mention for the All-Area team for 2008 and 2009.

Lincoln baseball coach Brian Leach says hard work has helped Weir earn the opportunity to play college ball.

“Putting time in when you have free time is what gets you from this level (high school) to the next level,” he said. “Brandon played 40 games this year at Lincoln. He plays 50-60 summer games. And that’s what it takes. You’ve got to play 75 to 100 games a year to keep getting better and better. It not only helped him get better as a player but also helped him understand baseball better, and baseball IQ is what college coaches want to see.”

“Brandon’s got that. He’s able to produce a high baseball IQ. He’s got a high level of ability. And he’s just a good kid,” Leach said. “All those strengths combined is what got him this opportunity.”

Weir, who has a 4.07 weighted grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society, plans to major in accounting with his sights set on becoming a certified public accountant. His scholastic standing should help him with academic scholarships in addition to a partial scholarship for baseball.

Weir is still waiting for Shelton to send him a workout schedule for the summer, and he’s anxious to start the conditioning.

“I’m excited. I’m ready to get started,” he said. “The only real thing I’m concerned about is getting in shape over the summer and improving myself to get to the level to be able to compete to play immediately.”

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