The heart of the Generals

By Corine Gatti

Published: August 1, 2008

Brandon Sizemore has tightened his grip on the hearts of Generals’ fans and his coach for the last three seasons.
“He is what baseball is about,” said Waynesboro coach Lawrence Nesselrodt. You know, tenacity is a good word. He’ll play broken, hurt; it does not matter. He has heart.”
Being a star player was not always the case. The climb to the starting lineup was arduous. Sizemore started as a utility player in his first season.
“He hussled and worked himself up from playing six different postions,” Nesselrodt said. “[Recently], he was named to the All-Star team and earned Valley League All-League team as a second baseman. This year there is no question that he is our MVP,” he said.
Sizemore was out for two weeks in late June with bruised heels. On Jul. 17, he returned for the first time to pinch-hit against Winchester in front of a home crowd and limped to first-base after his single.
“It was killing me not to go out there, just sitting on the bench,” Sizemore said. “Once I was out there, I felt better, even if I was a little hurt.”
There are no signs of slowing down for Sizemore. The junior was ranked first on the squad batting .368 and compiled an overall slugging percentage of .684 with 17 RBI.
“I never just give up. I don’t believe in that. I want to win,” Sizemore said.
Maybe it’s magical or just dedication.
“One of the major characteristics of what separates a good player from a great player is the size of their heart,” Nesselrodt said. “It’s not the radar gun or the stopwatch. It is how they play the game and how to get the job done.”