The Plattsburgh State men’s baseball team is looking for a turnaround season with the help of sophomore transfer pitcher/first baseman Patrick Bryant.
Patrick and his younger brother Stephen have looked up to their father Jeff Bryant and his career playing minor league baseball. Their father coached them their entire youth careers until the brothers reached modified baseball.
“My dad never really pushed me to play baseball,” Patrick said. “I was watching a game on the television and told my dad I wanted to play.”
Coming out of high school, Bryant attended Wake Forrest University located in North Carolina. After his first semester there he thought it would be a good idea to move closer to home.
The Long Island native transferred to Hofstra University, which is roughly 45 minutes from his home in Suffolk County. After finishing up his freshman year, Bryant felt Hofstra was not the place for him.
Looking to transfer again, Bryant took notice of PSUC because of his younger brother who was one of the top recruits entering as a freshmen this year.
“I thought it would be pretty cool to play with my younger brother again,” Patrick said. “Him entering as a freshmen here had a large impact on why I ended up in Plattsburgh.”
Head coach Kris Doorey was willing to welcome the older Bryant and give him a chance on the diamond.
“Watching him in person was a huge difference than on film,” Doorey said. “After seeing him throw his first pitch I knew he would be an impact player for us.”
Although Patrick never took an official visit, he was relying on the experiences of others to sway him toward PSUC. Assistant coach Brian Burns graduated from PSUC with a political science degree, which is the same major as Bryant.
“With that being my major, he convinced me it would be a good idea to finish my career as a Cardinal,” Patrick said.
The upcoming baseball season will start with 22 new Cardinal athletes joining the roster.
“I think we have some potential with the guys on this year’s team,” Stephen said. “Patrick is a well-composed pitcher and can do big things for our team.”
The transition to being a Cardinal has been nothing but welcoming to Patrick.
“I wasn’t expecting anything special from the rest of the team,” Patrick said. “The guys treated me the same as they would have any other transfer. Our team is a fun group to be around.”
At both of his previous schools, Patrick was labeled just a pitcher, but the transfer is ready to get back in the batter’s box against another team.
“I haven’t swung a bat since high school,” Patrick said. “Standing at the plate is my favorite part of baseball.”
Brother Stephen has even taken notice to his brother’s batting.
“Patrick is making a name for himself as a hitter,” Stephen said. “He seems more focused on his overall game.”
Doorey and the rest of PSUC baseball has some big expectations with Patrick playing on the defensive side of the game.
“Patrick is a different type of athlete,” Doorey said. “He has great footwork and is developing as an infielder.”
Patrick has been known to be a hard competitor but he pushes his teammates along with him.
“He brings that mentality to the players around him,” Doorey said. “It doesn’t matter what it is, he wants to be the best at it.”
His desire to compete comes from his tremendous work ethic which helps him become a better player.
“He works hard all the time in whatever he does,” Stephen said. “It’s not that he needs to put in the work, he wants to put in the work.”
Being one of the hardest workers on the diamond, getting it done in the classroom is no problem for Patrick.
“I just look at my schedule and prioritize time for both,” Patrick said. “You need to be successful in the class room in order to play. So that gives me a little more motivation to get work done.”
With the season right around the corner, Patrick and Stephen plan to live up to the hype.
Email Kyle Espejo at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
