Brian Tveita
Interview conducted on 12/11/2016
What team did you play for in 2016?
STL/MIZUNO/THESPORTSMANSHOP–Free Agent for 2017
What positions do you play and what's your best positon?
Super Utility-At the conference level I have pitched, played 3rd, 2nd, SS and corner outfield spots LF and RF.
Best position: IMO; 2nd, 3rd and pitcher
Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
Hard to say with so many great players: to name a few, Purcell, Wegman, Connell, Kyle Pearson, and Scott Brown
Why do you like the game of softball?
Like is an understatement, Love is more accurate, fuels my competitive side and there is nothing I would rather be doing in the spring or summer than being on the field playing ball or at a park working on my on my game. I enjoy the competitive spirit at the conference level, playing under the lights, the excitement playing with and against the best, meeting new people and hanging out with the guys during the summer.
Who is the best up and coming player and why
My hitting partner Cory Hines from Eurotech/Elite media, guy mashes and it looks almost at times effortless. Josh Smith (Hollywood) from STL can really hit the ball as well, a lot of fun to play with him this past season.
Also maybe not up and coming but very underrated and unknown: Scott Jacobs who I've had the pleasure of playing with the past 3 years in the conference. He has one of the best swings I have ever seen, is very unselfish as a ball player and locks down the middle when pitching like very few guys do, his reflexes are amazingly fast.
What do you do for a living?
Business Operations Analyst
What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
Weightlifting, hitting or throwing at a local park or hanging out at home with my gal and our new born son
How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
While rehabbing my shoulder I had a buddy ask me to pitch co-ed, I had seen my dad play softball for years at the Dudley and Frolics but always thought the game was too slow, somehow I became hooked on softball and after my stints of playing town ball ended, I jumped into softball and never looked back.
After a couple years of playing lower softball, and starting to get the desire to get better and move up, I asked (the voice of MN softball) Mike Beardsley what I needed to do to become a better ball player, he gave me tips like becoming bigger and stronger-so I spent the next two seasons lifting and putting on about 40 lbs of mass. Then he told me about hitting till my hands bleed and then going out and doing it again the next day, over and over. So I did, 100 degrees, snowing, raining didn't matter I hit through it. Lastly he told me about trying to network and connecting with upper players. I hit in Scott Browns (Brownie) hitting league and received some great tips about overlap grip, adjustments on my swing and then I just worked harder and longer than about anybody I knew to chase down my dream of playing in the conference. Tried out with WSC in 2014 and been playing conference ball since.
What would you say is your career highlight to this point?
Going 6/6 with 3 homers and 9 RBI's in a game against 3rd ST/Louisville Slugger at the Choo Choo Classic this past season. I am a perfect 16/16 in that Tournament the last 2 seasons.
Beating Linedrive Sportz/Easton as an underdog in the Windy City major on Friday night this past season was pretty special as it was a hard fought, tightly contested team win.
Also a couple of years ago at the Maryland dual when the first leg was rained out, we sat there for 4 days and my roomie (old Laser vision vet) Jermaine Parker shared a lot of softball wisdom and I've always carried some of what he told me that weekend with me.
What advice can you give a younger player trying to break into the upper level?
Work hard, be humble, ask questions of those players who are playing in the higher levels of ball, network like crazy and hustle, hustle, hustle.
What do I do in the offseason to prepare for the next season?
I am very dedicated to weightlifting I like to check in on Facebook so (BG)Bryan Goins knows I'm there putting in work :, take a lot of ground balls in the gym, hit inside and outside throughout the winter, check out old streamed games to looking for tips and tendencies of players I may face. I think of new ways to improve my game with different exercises, drills and ideas and I really try not to take many days off from any of these activities during the offseason.
What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on the softball field?
Pretty much anything BG says on the ball field, ha I kid he's a great guy and I really enjoy playing the game with him and giving him a hard time when I can. Playing in the Circle City Major at the end of the day we were all pretty exhausted from a long day of ball, during the last game the team we were playing had some of their fans behind the backstop. Korey Harris (Conference Korey) came up to bat and after a pitch or two stepped out an starting arguing and cursing at the people who were heckling him behind the backstop I pretty sure the ump had to step in to get Korey back to the dish, you could tell he was mad, we were all dying laughing and once he got back into the box he hit a no doubt 3 run homer and was cussing all the way to first at the people hence Conference Korey was born. We rode him the rest of the season to hit like people were yelling at him from the backstop HA.
What was your favorite Sports related gift you have ever give or received?
I received a Backspin Tee and Pop toss hitting tee from my gal so I can hit as much as I want by myself when I need to, which is often because I enjoy hitting
