Bears pitcher signs with Mercer
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Brandon Love, seated, is pictured with, left to right, BCHS assistant principal and former baseball coach Todd Booker, father Sammy Love and BCHS head baseball coach Sean Tiernan.

Burke County High School pitcher Brandon Love will still be a Bear when he heads off to college next year.

The 6'2", left-handed hurler signed with Mercer University last week to play for the Bears.

The school offered him a fouryear scholarship to play baseball that will nearly cover tuition costs for the Division I, private university located in Macon.

Mercer coach Craig Gibson called Love a hard-nosed competitor and said he was excited to have him join the team.

"Brandon brings a mentality that we need here at Mercer," Gibson said. "He's the kind of kid that you can flip the ball to and know he'll fight for nine innings. Anytime you can hand the ball off to a kid with that in mind, you're pretty happy about your chances."

BCHS head coach Sean Tiernan has enjoyed Love's competitive drive on the high school level, and labeled him a "big game pitcher" for Burke County.

"He's the guy you can stick in there and rely on," Tiernan said. "When he goes out there, he takes care of business."

Love said deciding on Mercer was easy.

"I've always wanted to play Division 1 baseball and they gave me the best opportunity," he said.

Love spent the summer in Ohio playing for the Ohio Warhawks, a prestigious baseball program that sees some 94 percent of its players make collegiate teams.

The Georgia Dugout Club has also selected Love for preseason First Team All-State honors for Class AAA in their preview magazine for the second consecutive season this year.