TCU teammates on Brayden Taylor: ‘You have no option but to love the guy, he’s phenomenal’
Brayden Taylor isn’t just the best player on TCU’s College World Series team. He’s also one of its most beloved.
“Brayden is Brayden,” said TCU outfielder Elijah Nunez, “I can’t say enough about him because the things he does on and off the field it’s almost mesmerizing, he makes everything look so easy and he’s such a good teammate you have no option but to love the guy he’s phenomenal.”
On Friday at 1 p.m., the final chapter of Taylor’s collegiate baseball career will begin when the Horned Frogs face Oral Roberts in the opening game of the CWS in Omaha.
Three years ago, Nunez and Taylor came into TCU together when Taylor was the No. 188 high school prospect in the country.
Three years later Taylor has set TCU’s record for career home runs and with a successful showing at the College World Series, he could also own the school’s single-season RBI record which has stood for more than two decades.
“One of the things you look for is when your quote-unquote best player is also one of your most well-liked players, every single guy on our team is genuinely excited for everything that Brayden has gotten,” said TCU head coach KIrk Saarloos.
Taylor is one of the top MLB prospects in the 2023 draft currently ranked at No. 16 according to draft guru Keith Law, but Taylor is not focusing on his impending draft selection.
“No distraction yet, at this moment all I’m focused on is playing TCU baseball,” said Taylor.
This season Taylor hit .324 with 23 home runs and 69 RBIs, one home run shy of TCU’s single-season record. Taylor’s hitting has mirrored the ups and downs of TCU’s uneven regular season.
“Just like our season, he was in the middle part of the season and was going through a struggle like he’s never gone through a struggle before offensively, and for him to see it through and now finish the way he’s finished I think it just kinda exemplifies what our season has looked like,” said Saarloos.
Taylor struggled at the plate in TCU’s Super Regional series, going 0-for-5 against Indiana State. That came after strong performances in the Fayetteville Regional and the Big-12 tournament.
After a tough weekend at the plate, Taylor knows what he has to do to get back to playing his best baseball.
“I feel like just taking it day by day, sticking with my routine, sticking with the process and I feel like we’re all trained for these types of moments,” said Taylor
Saarloos isn’t worried about his star player shrinking in the biggest moments.
“He’s played in every situation you can think of, I don’t think the bright lights are a big deal anymore,” said Saarloos.
Taylor said the Horned Frogs are ready to make waves in Omaha.
“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s the biggest stage of the year,“ said Taylor, “It [College World Series Title] would mean a ton not only for me but for this school and for this city.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
