Luke Brown’s return to Bowling Green is a “dream come true”

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Greensboro outfielder Luke Brown’s homecoming is something he says is beyond his imagination.

“Growing up, if you asked me and thought I would’ve played here [at Bowling Green Ballpark], I would’ve called you crazy,” Brown said with a humble grin.

Brown’s return to his hometown this past week unfolded after a lengthy, windy journey to Greensboro. He played in five games of the Grasshoppers’ six-game road stretch against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

A former football and baseball standout at Bowling Green, Brown was part of the Purples’ 4th Region baseball championship team his junior year in 2016, just months before winning a state title as a wide receiver for then-head coach Kevin Wallace.

Dan Mosier, who coached Brown’s first three years as a baseball Purple, saw Brown in action throughout the week along with current Purples’ skipper Nathan Isenberg and other mutual friends. For Mosier, he says he’s seen former players play at a higher level, but that this just “means more.”

“It gives you an extra sense of satisfaction seeing him do that,” Mosier said, sitting in the bleachers with his back turned to the field. “He was given certain God-given gifts. You just hope he makes the most out of them and that you, as a coach, did some of the right things to help him get to this point.”

Brown has used those gifts in different ways since graduating from Bowling Green. He played for a season at Western Kentucky before a junior college stint at John A. Logan College landed him at Louisville in 2020. His efforts led to him getting drafted in the 9th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A brief stint with the Bradenton Mauraders landed him with Greensboro back in June, bringing his journey to Bowling Green full circle.

“Guys on the other team [the Hot Rods] are happy I’m here and from here. It’s really cool being on the other side of this,” Brown said. “It really doesn’t get better than actually getting to play professional baseball here in front of my family and friends.”

The Hot Rods even went a step further in honoring brown by presenting his name on the video board in the series opener adjacent to a Bowling Green Purples logo.

“It was awesome seeing the whole community support me. Seeing the Bowling Green Purples logo on the scoreboard was pretty cool.”

Greensboro returns to Bowling Green on September 6 to wrap up the second half of the regular season, much to the excitement of Brown. However, he said that his focus is living in the here and now.

“I don’t take this for granted. It’s just that I love it.”

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