Brunswick grad Scott Rouse thriving in Mariners organization

Patience and the courage to go after what he wanted helped former Brunswick baseball ace Scott Rouse land the opportunity he was seeking. The ability to pound the strike zone has made that chance an undeniable success. Rouse had his minor league contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners organization on May 8 and has since been stellar for the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers of the California League, his first time playing minor league baseball for an MLB affiliate. The journey started years ago when a Mariners scout first reached out when Rouse was pitching for Radford University in Virginia. Rouse kept that relationship alive through his collegiate career at Kentucky and in independent ball for the High Point Rockers in North Carolina. It was there that Rouse asked that scout how his career was progressing. The 6-foot, 185-pound right-hander doesn't know for sure whether his text helped land his current opportunity, but Seattle purchased his contract from the Rockers a few days later. Before everything was official, Rouse had to leave the Rockers, pass a physical and sign his contract. By the weekend, he was striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning for the 66ers in an 8-6 loss to Lake Elsinore. "It happened really fast," Rouse said in a phone interview. "When it first happened, I just wanted to make sure it was set in stone and done. It took awhile for it to kind of hit because I hadn't signed anything yet. The time it hit me was after the first outing that I had here. That was pretty cool, because I hadn't really had time to process it." Rouse's ability to shut down opposing hitters hasn't slowed down since arriving in San Bernardino. Entering a six-game series at Fresno on Tuesday, Rouse had not allowed an earned run in seven appearances over 24 innings. He had allowed three unearned runs on 13 hits, five walks and one hit batter while striking out 22. "Realistically, I'm just throwing the ball over the plate," he said. "My biggest thing is I don't want to give up free bases. I really just attack the zone and try to throw every pitch for a strike. That kind of sets me up for success early in counts. "I don't want to nibble. I just want to throw as many strikes as possible and let the defense do it for me." Following his time with Brunswick, Rouse's collegiate career began with two seasons at Ohio Dominican in Columbus. He then spent two seasons at Radford, including an injury-plagued junior year, before finishing with Kentucky in the SEC in 2025. After the college season, Rouse signed with High Point and spent the 2025 season and the start of 2026 in Central North Carolina. The move from near the east coast to 60 miles east of Los Angeles with the Inland Empire has come with some adjustmentd for the 24-year-old. "I'm a little farther away from home than I ever have been," he said. "Different time zones and everything like that. I'm still getting used to it." His teammates, manager Luis Caballero and his staff have helped make that transition easier. "We're all really close," he said. "We're all trying to move up, but we're a family. It's hard to do well, perform well or move up if you're not enjoying what you're doing every day. "If you don't have people you enjoy working with, then there's no way you're going to enjoy your job, whether that's in baseball or not." Going to High Point afforded Rouse the chance to learn from teammates and opponents who had professional experience. Those lessons proved valuable for the next step. "It was a tough league and an older crowd than I was used to," he said. "I was kind of the young guy again in that scenario. I was able to pick brains of the guys on my team and other teams, and I think that played a part in the success that I'm having right now." Four of Rouse's first five outings for the 66ers came out of the bullpen, with the lone exception a start in the second game of a doubleheader against Ontario on May 20. He has since made two starts in June, wins against San Jose (4-0) and Rancho Cucamonga (5-2). He tossed 4 2/3 innings against San Jose and five against Rancho Cucamonga. "I try to take every outing the same way," he said. "There's a little bit of a difference between starting and relieving, but once I'm on the mound I try not to think about it differently either way. Whether I'm coming on with runners on base or I'm starting the game, I'm going to go in and try to throw strikes. That's just the mentality of it." Throwing strikes is what it all comes down to for Rouse as he looks to climb the ladder to the big leagues. "This organization loves strike-throwers, and that's kind of been my identity throughout my career," he said. "I hate putting guys on first base. If I walk somebody, I feel like they win that at-bat or that inning. "I'm not worried about getting promoted. It's really just staying in the zone and getting outs until they pull me out of the game." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.