Garrett Breda
Born February 15, 1988
Seattle (WA) Studs 2007-2018
Inducted 2026

When the teams are announced every year for the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series, it’s just about as certain as death and taxes that you’ll find the Seattle Studs on the list. Since 2002, they have participated in every tournament except one (2020) with seven appearances in the National Championship and three titles during that span. A key component of six of those finals teams was their backstop Garrett Breda, known to his teammates as “The Captain.”

Breda grew up in Washington state and started playing baseball as soon as he could walk. Small for his age as he was growing up, his little league coaches would often have him lay down sacrifice bunts to move runners over, and as he got older, Breda prided himself on perfecting that craft. In the field, he tended to play second base into his teens before he started gaining some experience behind the plate, but it wasn’t until his senior year in high school that he became a full-time catcher.

His collegiate career began at Everett Community College, and it was there that he got connected with the Seattle Studs. A few of Everett’s players had played for the Studs the year before, and his coach arranged a tryout with them. Amazingly, one of the Studs coaches, Steve Potter, recognized his last name as he had once played on a flag football team with his father. After impressing at the tryout, Breda became a Stud in the summer of 2007. When Seattle made its annual trip to Wichita that year, Barry Aden, the Studs manager, assigned Breda to bullpen catching duties and just had him observe the tournament from the sidelines as he was only a freshman. The Studs finished ninth.

The following season, with Breda now Seattle’s primary catcher, and every other year through 2012, the Studs made it to the championship game and lost, finishing with a record of 6-2 each time. Breda threw out a combined four potential base stealers in the three defeats, even leading the tournament with seven runners caught stealing in 2010. Also in 2010, while attending Western Oregon University, he was named second team catcher in the All-Great Northwest Conference. Breda would record at least one sacrifice bunt in all but one of his 11 NBC tournaments and laid down a career high four in 2012 on his way to his first of two All-American honors in Wichita.

After completing his college career, Breda entered his family’s real estate business full-time, but not before a brief stint in south Texas. “I joined the McAllen Thunder after the NBC in 2011 and it was some really good baseball with guys that had some minor league experience,” said Breda. “That was my taste of professional baseball getting paid $600 a month and playing in 110-degree heat every day. It was a cool experience but after that, my playing days were just with the Studs. Playing with the Studs was so much fun, and I looked forward to it each year. We had a lot of the same guys every summer and I enjoyed playing with them and for Barry and Potter.”

2013 saw the Studs finally reach the top of the mountain, going undefeated in the process and claiming the NBC World Series crown in a 5-1 win over the Wellington (KS) Heat. Breda singled and scored in the contest, as he caught friend David Benson’s complete game four-hitter. “It felt like a big weight off our shoulders,” said Breda. “The tournament always had so many good teams and it was extremely hard to even make it to the finals. Doing it three times before, it felt like we may never actually win it. So when we did, it was such a big relief.”

Even though Breda recorded three runners caught stealing in the 2014 championship game, the Studs came up short once again, but they reclaimed the title and the Larry Davis Trophy in 2015, beating the Haysville (KS) Aviators 5-2. Just as he did in 2013, Breda had a hit and scored in the championship game and also had one of his patented sacrifice bunts in the process. Another close friend, Taylor Thompson, picked up the save. “We actually had a lot of confidence going into both of those championship games because of our starting pitchers, but entering the 2015 game I think it felt less pressure since we had already won one.”

It wasn’t just in Wichita where the Studs were perennial contenders with Breda orchestrating the pitching staff while keeping runners at bay. Seattle won their league title in all but one year that Breda was with them, as well as numerous international tournaments including the Grand Forks International four times. He attributed a lot of his success and longevity to his manager. “Barry is the definition of a player’s coach,” said Breda. “He’s not a coach that’s gonna be yelling at you. He has a cool calm demeanor, and as long as you performed and play the game the right way he would put you in there. He’s just a fun guy to play for. He never gave us signs at third base and never called pitches. He trusted us and just let us play.”

Breda had one other opportunity to play against professionals in 2016 when the Studs faced the Kansas Stars, a team comprised of ex-Major Leaguers. Jeremy Guthrie, the Stars starting pitcher, actually still had one more Major League appearance in his future. Kansas won the game easily, but Breda said, “We were 3-0 when we played the Stars in an elimination round. That was our most talented team. It was awesome playing before a sold-out crowd. We weren’t expected to win. I enjoyed having conversations with these All-Stars as a catcher when they would come to bat.” He continued, “You could tell the difference [between them and us] even if they had been away from the game for a while. I remember Adam LaRoche hit a moonshot over the river off our really good pitcher. I thought he should still be playing in the major leagues.”

Garrett’s last season with the Studs was also his best offensive year at the NBC. He hit .462 for the tournament, which included his lone home run of his NBC career. “It was one of those home runs that you hit so well you barely feel the ball come off your bat. I never hit a bunch of home runs in my life but that was one that when I hit it I knew it was gone.”

In his final two games with the Studs, both elimination contests, Breda recorded five hits. Seattle’s biggest rival at the NBC was, and still is, the Santa Barbara (CA) Foresters, who had gotten the best of them in three of the Studs’ four finals losses. The Studs, however, had also beaten them en route to both of their titles. Breda arguably had his best all-around NBC game in his last time playing those “damn Foresters.” With their season on the line, he had three hits and threw out a runner trying to steal in a 5-0 victory. Two nights later he concluded his baseball career and earned his second NBC All-American award with two hits in a quarterfinal loss.

Reflecting on his time in Wichita, Breda said, “The NBC was a special place for us. Only relatives and girlfriends would come to games in Seattle, but we have a great following in Wichita including the Circle of Love, a dedicated group of Studs supporters, and being with teammates in the same place for two weeks was special. The NBC was such a first-class experience, and with how well it drew fans showed how big of a tournament it was. To play in and win the NBC was our most important goal each year.”

A remarkable playing career of calling games behind the plate and exhibiting excellent defensive skills year after year, setting the example for his teammates to follow, led to the Seattle Studs retiring his jersey number 2 in a ceremony at the start of the 2019 season. Breda was already in the NBC record books with an all-time record of 18 sacrifice bunts in tournament history, and now his lifetime achievements in Wichita earn him induction as well. He joins his manager Aden and teammates Thompson and Benson with membership in the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame.

Career NBC stats (2008-2018): 52 G, .188 (27-144), 20 R, 5 2B, HR, 12 RBI, 18 SH, 38.5% CS (27-70)
Career Seattle Studs stats (2007-2018): 447 G, .250 (317-1268), 10 HR, 185 RBI