AIDEN BRYANT
BATTIEST HIGH SCHOOL
As the 2023 fall baseball season gets ready to unfold, the Battiest Panthers will field a young team which will put senior Aiden Bryant front and center.
“We’re a young team with Aiden being the only senior along with two juniors,” said coach Chris Gibbs. “I think the potential is there, they just don’t have the experience but with good mentorship from Aiden and our juniors I think we’ll be hard to beat by mid-September.”
Aiden plays both baseball and basketball for the Panthers and even though he’s played both sports since he was little, he prefers baseball.
“My dad played baseball when he was young and he’s always kind of steered me in that direction and so I think I’m probably just better at baseball than basketball,” said Aiden who hit over .400 last year for Battiest.
Aiden pitches and plays third base and growing up he played mostly outfield until he got to high school. And even though playing the “hot corner” is relatively new to Aiden, he’s adapted well.
“I like playing third base better because I just like the feeling of making a big play to get an out,” he said.
As the only senior, the team leadership responsibility falls squarely on Aiden’s shoulders but that doesn’t bother him.
“I’ve always kind of thought of myself as a leader anyway so I know I’ll have my work cut out for me this year. I don’t want to come across as bossy or mean when I’m working with the younger kids, and I think it’s part of my job to keep encouraging them.”
As Aiden ponders highlights from his time at Battiest so far, he thinks back a couple of years to a game against perennial baseball power Red Oak.
“It was my sophomore year and we led Red Oak most of the game and it was exciting even though they came back in the final inning to beat us. But they went on to win state that year so the Idea that we played them close was a little satisfying.”
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