Wil Browning was truly overwhelmed when He got the news that he was going to be inducted into the Holmes Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
“Holmes means a lot to me and my entire family,” said Browning, whose induction took place virtually last week, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “The Brownings and Ables have played a few sports there,” he said of his family bloodlines. “My mom and dad (Leslie and Charlie), myself and my sister (Lyn), my cousin and my uncles. It (HCC) means a lot to us and this is a great honor.”
Browning, a Sallis native and Kosciusko High School graduate, starred in baseball for the Bulldogs during his tenure at HCC, before going on to play for the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then eventually playing professional baseball for six seasons.
Browning went down a long list of people that contributed to his success, include his dad Charlie. “My dad has always been my No. 1 fan,” Browning said. “My dad could always help me when something was going wrong. He knew my body and how it was supposed to function and could help me adjust.”
He also gave a lot of credit to longtime Holmes head baseball coach Kenny DuPont. “He was a guy I loved to play for,” he said. “He expected a lot out of you and pushed you to be your best on and off he field. I loved being part of the ‘Dirt Bags.’”
Browning pitched for two years at Holmes and claimed all-region honors as a sophomore, finishing the season with a 9-5 record while recording 82 strikeouts in 82 innings.
The lanky right-hander’s baseball career was not without its share of adversity.
He missed the major part of his senior season at Kosciusko High School due to a knee injury, was hit by a line drive in the face while at Holmes that required surgery to his jaw, and had to undergo Tommy John Surgery on his pitching arm between his junior and senior years at ULM.
But he persevered. After finishing his pitching career with the Warhawks he signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and pitched six years in the organization.
He recorded a career high 25 saves during the 2015 season, pitching for both Dunedin and New Hampshire. He had a combined ERA of 1.86 and was named MVP for the Dunedin team.
Browning advanced all the way to the AAA level, pitching one game for Buffalo of the International League in 2016 and 39 for the same team in 2017, in which he finished the year with a 4-3 record.
For his minor league career Browning pitched in 243 games, recording 44 saves and 355 strikeouts in 299 innings.
The 31-year-old Browning currently lives in West Monroe, Louisiana, with his wife Anna, 3-year-old son Huck, and 8-month-old daughter Merritt.
