From the Drifters’ inaugural season to now, Dr. Randy Brunner has seen it all

Drifters Athletic Trainer Randy Brunner. (Photo by Ella Poor)

By Dillon Zamperin

Throughout the history of the Springfield Drifters, there isn’t a person who has seen the magic at Hamlin Sports Complex quite like Dr. Randy Brunner. 

From joining the team in its inaugural season in 2022 to now, entering his fifth season with them, Brunner has seen the highs and lows of the Drifters like no one else while being on the field.

One thing is for certain, however: Brunner has no plans to stop anytime soon.

“As long as my soon-to-be wife says I can do it,” Brunner said in an interview. “It’s something I went to school for [and] it’s something I love. I’m in the greatest seat in the house in the dugout. As long as she’s okay with me doing it, I plan on coming back every year.”

Brunner’s love for sports, like many, came at a young age. He played basketball and baseball growing up, but an injury to his knee during his senior season in high school changed everything.

Instead of playing basketball in college as he had hoped, Brunner was forced to pivot and decided to study engineering. However, that was not working out either, and after just one year, Brunner looked to change his career path yet again.

“[I] went home during the summer and spoke to my parents, and we went through the course catalog, stumbled across athletic training, and it looked interesting,” Brunner said. “I applied for the program, got accepted and that’s how I got into the field initially.”

He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida before becoming a graduate assistant at Florida Gulf Coast University for three years, where he would work with future Cy Young winner Chris Sale in 2010 when Sale attended the school.

After Brunner’s schooling wrapped up, he got an internship within the Detroit Tigers minor league system. Quickly after, he was hired full-time and spent three years with the organization before leaving to focus on high school sports.

“With baseball, you’re limited to the amount and type of injuries you have. Then, you go to high school, and now you’ve got twenty different sports and younger athletes of both genders,” Brunner said. “But athletic training is athletic training. Once you get into the groove and find your place, it comes back to you naturally.”

After nearly a decade in the high school scene, he tried something new and found himself working for the Drifters. In 2022, during Springfield’s inaugural season, Brunner saw it all — literally.

He remembers when the stadium was not yet fully built, when the locker rooms and bleachers were still under construction. While there were setbacks that year, the Drifters made it through the season, and things were slowly progressing both on the field and at the stadium.

“As the season went on, every day got better and better operationally,” Brunner said. “When the second season came around, the first week had some hiccups, but from then on, it has been smooth sailing. It’s been great to see the growth and development.”

Some of Brunner’s best memories came from his first year and seeing all the firsts that happened at the ballpark.

“The one that sticks in my mind was Nate Stevenson hitting the first home run for the organization over in right field,” Brunner said. “I think he was also the first to hit a double and triple, so those things all definitely stick out.”

Now in their third and fourth seasons in Springfield, respectively, junior first baseman Nolan Miller and redshirt junior second baseman Cooper Mullens have been two of the most recognizable faces at Hamlin Sports Complex and with the Drifters.

Both came to the Drifters before they turned 19, and thanks to Brunner’s position, he has watched each of them grow into the players and people they are today.

“Both of them were such quiet guys that didn’t really chirp too much during games and kept to themselves. Now, they’ve got some personalities to them. They’re a little chirpy on the field, they laugh, and joke and kind of get involved in things,” Brunner said. “It’s nice to see not only their skill set develop, but also their personalities and come out of their shells as they develop.”

From the first home run to wild winning streaks to improbable walkoffs, one of the constants in the Drifters dugout has been the familiar face of Dr. Randy Brunner. While nothing is for certain, Brunner hopes to stay with the team as long as he can, as he looks to be a true Drifter for life.