Energetic Stueck sparks success: Pirates’ junior catcher named county POY

LUMBERTON — Beyond the big hits and the strong defense, Brody Stueck was the emotional driving force for the Lumberton baseball team.

He didn’t just lead the Pirates in RBIs, he provided the hype too.

“He was definitely our little spark plug,” Lumberton coach Jeff McLamb said. “He always had something going all the time. … He always had something going, he was definitely the life of the party all the time. And I think kids see how relaxed he was, and the year he had, I think that’s what helped our team relax and our team play well in big situations.”

The Pirates rode that wave to a successful season, while Stueck sailed to Robeson County Player of the Year honors.

“(It was) lot of hard work,” Stueck said. “I just want to thank my coaches and everybody being around me helping me this year.”

“He had an awesome year,” McLamb said. “He batted all year long in the three or four spot for us. He came up with several big hits for us, and he was I would say definitely our most consistent bat every game. And he also did a good job behind the plate as well. He’s a leader on the field, in the dugout, the whole nine yards. He had a tremendous year, the year he had this year.”

ALL-COUNTY TEAM & AWARDS

Stueck hit .470 in his junior season with a county-high 26 RBIs and six extra-base hits, striking out just seven times all season. He had 11 runs and five stolen bases, which would be more if he weren’t run for often as the catcher.

“(It’s) just preparation all summer, practicing,” Stueck said. “Just being ready for the moment.”

Stueck had nine multi-hit games, including a four-hit game against Hoke County on April 2, and eight games with multiple RBIs.

“Anytime he came up in a crucial situation, it seemed like all year long he got the job done,” McLamb said. “Take the South View game for example, we didn’t need a base hit, we just needed a sac fly, and he got it done. He didn’t always get a hit for us, but it seemed like he always did the job that he was supposed to do when he came up with the bat.”

Stueck also had a .988 fielding percentage as the Pirates’ everyday catcher, committing just two errors all season, and leading the Lumberton pitching staff through a strong campaign.

“Just being a leader, just doing what I’ve got to do, keeping everybody under control and being the main guy back there,” Stueck said.

“He did an awesome job behind the plate, held it down back there,” McLamb said. “He was behind the plate for us every game, and did a tremendous job with the pitching staff. And when we started having injuries, he would be the only catcher down there, and he’s having to catch every bullpen and everything. He put in a lot of hard work, that’s why I’m tickled for him.”

And he did it all while being Lumberton’s energetic leader, celebrating after every big hit or pumping the team up when the Pirates were in need of a rally.

“I just come out here and have fun, I just give it all I’ve got,” Stueck said. “I just try to keep everybody under control, but when I get in that moment I get a little excited.”

And there was a lot to be excited about, as Lumberton won 15 games and shared the United-8 Conference championship, its first title since 2015.

“It felt good to win this year,” Stueck said. “We didn’t do very much of that the last couple of years, so it felt good to turn it around a little bit. We’ve got to do it again.”

Stueck has one more year in the Pirates program, and as he prepares for his senior year he is also looking beyond it towards the possibility of playing collegiately.

“I think the future will be good,” Stueck said. “I hope I go somewhere and play college baseball. I know I can, but I’ve got to get somebody looking at me. But I think we’ll be good for the next couple of years.”

McLamb says that, while there’s definitely things for Stueck to work on, he’s got the skills and the work ethic to keep improving and become a next-level player.

“We talked a little bit, in the offseason the weight room’s going to be a big thing for him, cutting down on his pop time to second base is going to be a big thing,” McLamb said. “But just keep working on his hitting, I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him if he keeps working hard — and he will, he’s one of those kids that works his tail off in the offseason, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem at all.”