Former LQ baseball player Bryant makes it to College World Series

Chris Clapinski, a former Palm Desert baseball standout and current Aztecs assistant baseball coach, was the last local player to represent the Valley at the College World Series back in 1992. 23 years later, he’ll have some company.

Taylor Bryant, a 2013 La Quinta High School graduate and now-sophomore for Cal State Fullerton’s baseball team, will also play in Omaha. Bryant hoped for as much when he signed with the Titans two and a half years ago, and expressed his desire in an earlier interview in 2012.

“They’re always up for a chance to play in the College World Series,” Bryant said back in November, 2012. “That’s the ultimate goal of when you go to play Division 1 baseball, so that’ll be a lot of fun. I hope we get there someday and I think I can help that.”

In his sophomore year, he’s helped plenty. His stellar defensive play at Cal State Fullerton made him a regular in the starting lineup midway through the season, and his heads-up baseball IQ potentially saved the deciding game in the Super Regional against Louisville. Bryant saved a high throw backing up first base, effectively holding the game-winning runner at second instead of advancing to possibly score. Fullerton got out of the inning and ended up winning 4-3 in the 11th.

“You young kids out there, don’t ever give up on a play because if Taylor would have, their season would be over,” said Brent Conley, Bryant’s former baseball head coach at La Quinta. “And the fact that he didn’t just speaks to his instincts and he saved the game. I’m smiling right now just thinking about it.”

“You practice bunt [defense] and it gets repetitive and it gets boring at times, but you do that for that one moment, for one that matters.” said Bryant.

His mom will fly to Omaha on Saturday and his uncle will take a road trip with a few of his friends for the 22-hour drive from southern California. Fullerton is the only team left in the College World Series on this half of the country, so his uncle expects the Titans to get plenty of fan support from all over the west coast.

“He always comes back and goes to the high school and he’ll work with the kids and take batting practice and do that with [Coach Conley],” said Jack Schwartz, Bryant’s uncle. “But it’s good to see him, for him, to get a little publicity out of this whole thing and hopefully La Quinta and that whole desert will get behind him and root him on to victory.”

And if Bryant wins it all in Omaha, it would be a dream come true.

“It would be unbelievable, I don’t think words could explain it to be honest,” said Bryant.

Cal State Fullerton face last year’s defending champs Vanderbilt on Sunday at 5pm PT on ESPN2.