How high school junior Brett Norfleet is biding his time to be Mizzou football and baseball star
Brett Norfleet stepped into the batter's box at Battle High School on April 15 during the Columbia Tournament.
If his 6-foot-7, 225-pound figure wasn't imposing enough, his first at-bat was enough to terrify any pitcher that thinks about staring him down.
He took the first pitch for a ball. He watched the second fly by as a wild pitch. The third he sent to the moon. It was an example of how Norfleet has seized his opportunity as one of the best athletes in Missouri and the challenges that come with it.
"He's awful talented," Francis Howell baseball coach Tony Perkins said. "Everybody knows."
Norfleet left no doubt on the 2-0 pitch, skying it out to left field to give Francis Howell a 5-0 lead over Battle. Plays like this are the norm for the junior first baseman; it's why Norfleet is a Missouri baseball commit.
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His talents aren't limited to the diamond. Norfleet is also a four-star tight end prospect committed to playing for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers' football team too.
The most impressive part of how Norfleet earned his dual-sport offer from Missouri is how it came after a sophomore season where he rarely saw the field. Last year, Francis Howell had a stacked roster of experienced and talented players.
In the 2021 class, the Vikings had eight baseball players sign National Letters of Intent to play college baseball.
The infield featured multiple players who weren't just talented hitters, but were also talented pitchers throwing with an average velocity of over 80 miles per hour.
While Norfleet was able to catch the eye of Steve Beiser and the MU baseball scouts during the summer baseball seasons, Norfleet still had to bide his time and wait at the high school.
He's grateful for that.
"I would say it was good for me to wait," Norfleet said. "It made me more hungry to play. I hit hard this offseason, so it's paying off so far."
So far this season, Norfleet is batting .357 through April 22. He's slugged three doubles, three home runs and seven triples. He's driven in 26 RBIs on 25 hits.
Those hitting stats don't illustrate how productive Norfleet is on the mound, either. However, Norfleet tore his labrum two years ago and is still rehabbing that injury.
Perkins said Norfleet is close to being able to throw, which the coach knows only adds to what the Vikings can do as a team. Putting Norfleet in the spotlight also lets Perkins set a character standard for the rest of his team, as he lauded how great of a person Norfleet is.
"I'm so spoiled," Perkins said. "Those kinds of things go a long way."
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As he bides his time during his return to the mound, he can continue to show off his hitting prowess.
Norfleet's approach at the plate displays how advanced his eye is. He's improved to the point where he can discern a pitch as it comes at him and is talented enough as a hitter where he can put the ball anywhere in the diamond.
"I'm going to look and then if I see off-speed or a different spin on the ball, I'll set back and wait and try to use the other side of the field too," Norfleet said.
That improvement as a hitter led to a first against Battle. The Spartans intentionally walked Norfleet in the fifth, which is the first intentional walk ever issued to Norfleet.
It's always a sign of a dominant hitter when teams would rather put Norfleet on first rather than have him swing the bat.
With Norfleet's hitting ability, one swing could change the complexion of a game.
"They didn't want to mess with that no more," Perkins said. "I don't blame them."
However, hitting isn't the only skill Norfleet has shown off. As a football star, Norfleet is rated the nation's No. 12 tight end in the 2023 recruiting class.
He committed to MU on Nov. 21, 2021, the day after the Tigers beat Florida in overtime at Faurot Field to gain bowl eligibility.
Norfleet is the No. 7 prospect in Missouri and the No. 222 recruit overall. Notably, he chose the Tigers over offers from Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State and Tennessee.
Norfleet caught 26 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns and recorded three sacks on defense during the 2021 season.
That caught the eye of Drinkwitz, who secured a commitment to keep a Missouri athlete in Missouri. That commitment for Norfleet brings an extra challenge.
As a two-sport athlete, he'll be tasked with keeping his body ready for both baseball and football. It's not impossible, as Kyler Murray played baseball while also being a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma. Cole Kmet is also proof it's possible, as the former Notre Dame tight end also pitched for the Irish.
But it's not simple. Norfleet knows that task is a lot. He also knows it comes with a necessity for time management, but he also expressed his excitement.
"We talked about it a little bit," Norfleet said. "I'll be doing football workouts and then I'll also be working out with the team, too. It's going to be a lot. Like I said, I'm excited for it."
This is all on Norfleet's shoulders as a junior.
In the class of 2023, he'll have one more season to showcase his football and baseball talents at the prep level.
Perkins said it looks like Beiser has placed an emphasis on keeping Missouri athletes in Missouri. That's what made Norfleet a priority to the Tigers.
One day, Norfleet will take the field at Taylor Stadium and Faurot Field. Until then, he'll be doing everything he can to ensure he'll be a two-sport star.
"I look forward to being one of the leaders on the team and improving my game," Norfleet said.
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Two-sport high school athlete Brett Norfleet could become Mizzou star
