Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
Brandan Warner
NAME: Brandan Warner
PARENTS: Kelly and Richard Warner
SIBLINGS: A sister, Brittney; she’s in ninth grade.
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Anatomy
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Hang out with my friends, play baseball.
FAVORITE FOOD: Spaghetti
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: J.Cole
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Fast and Furious series
FAVORITE TV SHOW: How I Met Your Mother
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? I always played with a Superman action figure.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? I plan on going to college on a baseball scholarship. I just haven’t decided on which yet. And I plan on majoring in Heath and Sciences.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? My late, great grandmother; she died three years ago but she was always a big inspiration in my life and she always taught me what was right and wrong, and what to do and what not to do. It helped me through tough situations when I needed it the most.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT BASEBALL: I think the best thing about baseball, especially here at Bryant High School, is the bond that you form with your teammates because how hard we work every single day. We spend a third or a fourth of our day up here working, getting ready for games; just the bond that you form with your teammates. Wins and losses don’t matter but the friendships that you make, that’s what counts the most.
POSITION: Third baseman
WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH AT THE PLATE? Obviously, to hit the ball hard somewhere but, depending on runners on and how many outs, that’ll dictate what I’m exactly trying to do. But squaring the ball up is the most important thing.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SEASON SO FAR? We dropped a couple of big games in the 7A contest but I think if we keep pushing up, pushing out, I think we have a good shot.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT TO THE SEASON SO FAR (as of April 28)? When we beat Catholic; it was redemption game and we needed it most because if we didn’t win that, there was a very slim chance of us making the playoffs. So it was definitely a must-win.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THE REST OF THE SEASON? We have to come together as a team. It’s not nine guys versus the other 25. It’s us 26 guys against their 26 guys. It’s going to take everyone on the team, no matter what you’re role. If you’re a JV, varsity or even a cameraman, it doesn’t matter. Everybody sticking together is what it’s going to take to win.
TALK ABOUT YOUR GAME: WHAT DO YOU FEEL MOST CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO DO? My defense, absolutely; that’s just what I’ve always been pretty good at. My hitting’s not the best but my defense is what I feel strong about.
WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST TO IMPROVE ON IN PRACTICE? My hitting; I work everyday on my hitting, work on my timing. A little on mechanics because mechanics are a very miniscule aspect in hitting. It’s all about timing. So we work everyday on timing and rhythm to make sure we perfect it.
AFTER YOU’RE THROUGH PLAYING BASEBALL AT BHS, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT IT? I’ll remember the blue-collar lifestyle that all 50 or 60 of us kids, we lived. Ninth through 12th grade, we all lived a blue-collar lifestyle throughout playing with Coach (Kirk) Bock in this program. I think the friendships I made, my teammates, something I’ll always remember.
