By Kyle Coppola
Lake Minneola High’s Brady Montrowl Prepares for the Next Chapter
Brady Montrowl
Lake Minneola High School’s Brady Montrowl is more than just a rising star in baseball—he’s a scholar, leader and community advocate whose journey exemplifies perseverance and gratitude.
The senior pitcher recently committed to the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he’ll continue to dazzle on the mound while pursuing his academic and professional baseball dreams.
Brady’s baseball resume is as impressive as it is inspiring. Ranked 5th among left-handed pitchers in Florida and in the top 50 nationally, he consistently throws a 92-mph fastball that has scouts and opponents taking notice. Over three baseball seasons, he’s tallied 125 strikeouts with a remarkable 39 percent strikeout rate.
Despite his baseball prowess, Brady didn’t always love the game. As a child, he was reluctant to try out for the sport, but his father, Steve, encouraged him to attend a practice.
“I actually didn’t want to try baseball as a young kid,” Brady recalls. “As I matured, I got better and stronger, and by the time I was a teenager, I knew baseball was what I wanted to do.”
Aside from baseball, Brady excels in academics and community service. With a 4.92 GPA, he balances a rigorous schedule as a dual-enrolled student at the University of Florida. There, he is an active participant in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and a member of the National Honor Society.
“I especially love FCA because I get to worship God while also playing with people who share my values,” he says.
Giving back to the community is another pillar of Brady’s life. He has completed over 100 hours of community service, donating shoes to those in need and helping with events for individuals with special needs. He also contributed to a unique training initiative for umpires by participating in mock baseball games.
“Helping others has taught me so much about gratitude and perspective. The feeling of giving back is one of the best feelings in the world,” Brady reflects.
Brady’s family has played an integral role in his success. He credits his parents, Steve and Ashlea, for their unwavering support.
“They’ve put me in amazing positions and sacrificed a lot to get me to this point. I’m so grateful to them and all my coaches for believing in me and helping me earn a Division I scholarship,” Brady says.
As Brady prepares for his final high school season, his focus is on creating meaningful memories with his teammates and cherishing friendships he’s built. His advice to younger athletes is simple but profound: “Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Everything happens for a reason. Practice makes perfect. Try and enjoy every moment you can and the results will come in time.”
Photos: Nicole Hamel
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
