MORGANTOWN — If ‘multi-sport athlete’ had a spot in the dictionary, it may include a picture of University High School’s Noah Braham, the recipient of the 2023 Lowery Award as the state baseball player of the year.
Son of WVU football hall-of-famer and former NFL player Rich Braham, the UHS first baseman will follow in his father’s footsteps and join the WVU football program this fall as a member of the team.
Even after signing to play for Neal Brown and WVU football in the winter, Braham couldn’t help but jump at another chance to tighten his batting gloves, throw on his shades, and don a uniform on the baseball diamond for his final season as a Hawk, and possibly last as a competitive baseball player.
“First of all, this is a great honor to be selected for this award and I have to thank my coaches and teammates for everything,” Braham said after being informed of the selection. “I have always had a love for baseball. I didn’t play my eighth-grade year, and then freshman year was stolen by COVID. Sophomore year went well and I fell in love with the game all over again, and being able to play this year was the most fun I’ve had and I am so glad that I did it.”
The award, named after former Jefferson coach John Lowery, is given to the state baseball player of the year as decided by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
Braham posted astronomical numbers in the batter’s box this season for UHS with a .529 batting average. He had 64 hits, 66 RBI and hit 13 home runs. His slugging percentage (1.041) and on-base percentage (.589) combined for a 1.630 OPS. The senior also had four triples and led UHS with 15 doubles.
Others considered for player of the year were Morgantown’s Ryan Fluharty, Charleston Catholic’s Jonah DiCocco, Hedgesville’s Braylon Conner and Tyler Consolidated’s Jayden Helmick.
Braham’s 66 RBI ranked fourth in the country, according to MaxPreps, and he also scored 52 runs. Excluding the 13 times Braham drove in himself on a home run, he was responsible for 105 of the Hawks’ 320 total runs scored on the year.
“Noah is a great kid and probably one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around,” UHS head coach Brad Comport said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure coaching him and especially this year, having one of the best high school seasons that I’ve ever witnessed.”
Braham’s historic year helped turn around a UHS season that was going nowhere as the Hawks found themselves at 6-8 in mid-April. UHS went on to win its next 10 games, in which Braham batted .618 (21-for-34) with 24 RBI, 20 runs, six doubles, two triples and four home runs.
The team carried that momentum into the postseason, where Braham led the Hawks to sectional and regional victories over Bridgeport and Morgantown, respectively, for the program’s first state tournament appearance in 19 years.
“Coach Comport really helped turn the team around and we were able to make states for the first time in a long time,” Braham said. “I think that was the most valuable part of our season, personally. We accomplished so much and worked hard for it.”
In eight playoff games, including a state semifinal loss to Hedgesville, Braham hit .400 (11-for-25) with 10 RBI, 11 runs and seven extra-base hits.
Following a standout senior campaign, one question many have is if the state player of the year is going to continue playing baseball at the next level.
Braham is already signed and practicing with the WVU football team but he said if WVU baseball coach Randy Mazey came calling, there’s a very slim chance the call would go to voicemail.
“I would 100 percent be open to that,” Braham said. “That’s obviously a huge decision and completely up to (Mazey) and the staff but if the opportunity presented itself I would love to play baseball for him.”
For now, Braham is on the WVU football roster as a tight end for summer workouts, but if he ever steps into the batter’s box at Mon County Ballpark as a Mountaineer, expect an impact to be had.
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