One word in the dictionary cannot adequately describe Daniel Bracken’s personality.

Maybe a few words would do so. Bracken, a red-shirt freshman outfielder on the baseball team, is energetic.

“When I was younger, and still to this day, I can’t stop moving,” Brecken said. “I am always running around. At the age of four my grandfather and grandmother put me in baseball so I could be occupied. I played baseball, basketball, football, soccer and anything else you could think of. I even did gymnastics.”

Bold. Some think gymnastics is not a manly sport, but he enjoyed it.

“I think I got a lot of balance from that,” Bracken said. “To this day I still have a lot of balance. I can do back flips, front flips and all that kind of stuff.”

He could have dabbled too much when he was young, but he does not think so.

“I would come in late and have to learn the playbooks faster than everyone else in a short period of time,” Bracken said. “I would always have to catch back up. Maybe I could have been better at just one sport if I focus on it and did it all year round. But, I do not regret it at all.”

Eastern pitching coach Skylar Meade said Bracken has the tools to succeed in baseball, especially now focusing on one sport.

“I think one thing with Danny is he just really understands the level of competition,” Meade said. “It was a little bit of a jump. He had been a pretty high-level football player in high school. He got a lot of offers for that.

“So he never completely focused on baseball, but now that he is just focused on baseball for a little over a year you can see how he is a little more disciplined at the plate, (like) not swinging at the breaking ball.”

Fast.

“He understands the running game,” Meade said. “He is understanding how to use his speed, which is probably his best quality that he has.”

Bracken understands he is not a big guy; but he is fast on the diamond.

“I kept improving every year in baseball and I am not that big of a guy,” he said. “I mean I am fast; faster than the average guy. I figured I have more opportunities to go farther in baseball and excel.”

Lucky. That goes for Eastern baseball and Bracken himself. Meade, like Bracken, is a native of Louisville, Ky. Without Meade, Bracken said he would not be here.

“I would have never thought in a million years that I would end up playing for him in the state of Illinois,” Bracken said. “Growing up in Kentucky, you would never in a million years think that.”

Bracken idolized Meade, who pitched at Louisville from 2003-2007.

“I looked up to Skylar,” Bracken said. “I knew him from (Louisville). I went to his high school games and to his college games. I can remember him being very good.”

Respect. In high school, Bracken competed in a baseball showcase at Louisville and won camp MVP, and Meade wanted to recruit Bracken.

Meade loves Bracken’s abilities, but he likes the person better.

“His best quality is he is just a great kid,” Meade said. “Every guy on the team likes him. He is one of those kinds of guys that people just flock to. That is his best quality. He is a guy that in time will be a great leader here.”

Dion Martorano can be reached at 581-7944 or dmmartorano@eiu.edu.

Daniel Bracken, a red-shirt freshman outfielder, considers himself a versatile athlete with a history of playing basketball, football, soccer and gymnastics. The Louisville, Ky., native credits his success and presence on the Panthers’ roster to pitching

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