Bearden’s Wright brothers give baseball program a lift as postseason approaches

History teaches us that the Wright Brothers were successful through their motivation, perseverance, and work ethic.

And eventually, they took flight.

Bearden’s social studies classes teach us that history repeats itself, so it’s no surprise that Bearden baseball’s own Wright brothers have also seen their careers hit new heights thanks to a similar blend of character traits.

Freshman Grayson Wright has had a phenomenal start to his high school baseball career, and his older brother Brooks, a junior, is already committed to play baseball at Tennessee.

The career and stories of the Wrights are warm-hearted, sentimental, and competitive.

“When we were younger, he used to play with my team,” Brooks said. “I played up one age and he is two years younger than me, so he played up three ages. He would play as a 7-year-old on our 11-12-year-old team.

“He could hold his own, he was never scared of anything, and just seeing him play and hit and do just as good as anybody – and obviously he would brag about it afterwards – that is probably my best memory.”

Bearden has just a handful of games left before the postseason starts next week, and Brooks and Grayson have been integral to the Bulldogs’ success in 2023.

Brooks – who will play catcher at the next level, but also pitches for Bearden – has been committed to Tennessee since his eighth grade year in 2020 and has only improved since then. Grayson, who is in Bearden’s starting pitcher rotation, has had an incredible player to look up to his entire life. 

“Baseball is our life outside of baseball,” Grayson said. “When we go home, we talk about baseball; after the game, we talk about how I did on the mound and what we could do to be better.

“You grow up playing with your family, and that’s where it starts. Brooks and I would mess around in the backyard when we were little.”

The brothers’ coach when they were younger was their father. But Grayson always had an extra set of eyes on him making sure he was doing his best. 

“Watching him grow pushes me because I’ll see that he’s better than I am and I’m like, ‘Dang, I gotta get on it now because people expect a lot out of me,’” Brooks said. “Our team has needed a little push like that, and he has kind of given it to us.” 

“The first game we played, he was hitting lead off for our team and on the first pitch he hit a home-run, so he had the first of everything.”

Brooks will happily brag about his little brother’s accomplishments, but Grayson prefers to stay humble when talking about his success as a freshman. 

“It’s cool having success,” Grayson said. “I mean it’s cliche, but it isn’t a me sport.

“Setting the tone with [Brooks] at the beginning of games is … such a good dynamic to have. He is really smart and communicative; he knows exactly what to do and when to do it.

“A lot of the team’s success comes from him.”

Added Brooks: “He is another best friend on the team. He keeps the morale up.”

Apparently, up pretty high.

Just a couple of Wright brothers soaring again.