Southside graduate Brantley Cutler flew to Seattle to play in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) first-ever All-Star Game. This event kicked off the MLB all-star week. The game was put on by baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who Cutler got to meet personally.

“We got to play Top Golf together,” Cutler said. “I got to chat with him, take some pictures, and really get to know him. I am getting married in a couple of months and he actually gave me some marriage advice. It was a surreal experience.”

Cutler said from the moment he stepped off the plane, he felt like a VIP. He was greeted with brand-new gear, including a pair of top-of-the-line cleats.

Cutler said it was a red carpet experience from the five-star hotel and breakfast to seeing his name over his locker in the Mariners locker room. He also said he got to throw a fish at Pike Place Market which he said was fun.

He said he was nervous and excited right before the game. “This was my first time playing in a stadium that big,” Cutler said. “I have played in single A and double A ballparks but they are nothing compared to an MLB stadium. It was so big that I was wondering if they added a 13th-world wonder. It was amazing.”

He was the designated hitter for the National League and went 1-2 with a flyout and a single. Afterward, there was a firework show that the players got to watch from the field. He said it was both a fantastic experience and one that he learned from. “The coaches there kept saying your eyes have traveled,” Cutler said

“What that means is we know what it’s like to live like an MLB player, we’ve seen it with our own eyes. That stuck with me.”

Cutler is back on the east coast and will continue playing right field and occasionally pitching with the Outer Banks Scallywags. Once the season ends, Cutler will not return to Maryland Eastern Shore, where he spent multiple seasons playing, because he has entered the transfer portal.

This is not the first time Cutler has transferred. In high school, he began at Northside for his freshmen year. A year later he broke his back and missed his sophomore year. He then transferred to Southside for his junior and senior years.

He committed to Maryland Eastern Shore until COVID-19 hit and he transferred to East Tennessee St. He spent one semester there before transferring back to Maryland Eastern Shore where he played for two more years.

He had a great season last year, finishing with a .335 average and setting the single-season school record for total bases (115).

Cutler still has eligibility as a grad student and is hopeful for his next college season and beyond that. “Whatever happens, happens. I don’t know what the Lord has in store for me, but I’m going to keep playing my best and see where it takes me,” Cutler said.