Around 60 million children play sports in America, and yet only 12,347 of them will go on to play Division 1 baseball in college. The balance of school, homework, sports, exercise, and relationships can be too difficult for most young athletes to keep up with, causing that dream of playing in college to sadly fade away. The exception to that is rare, but South Windsor junior Brayden Edwards has never been an ordinary ball player.

Edwards is the ace of the South Windsor Bobcats rotation. The southpaw earned a varsity spot as a freshman in 2023, a rare feat for a South Windsor player, but just a spot on varsity wasn’t enough for Edwards. He’d get a starting role both in the rotation and in the outfield and he’d never look back.

With a slate of poor records, the Bobcats would finally regain success in a big way in Edwards freshman season. Two separate seven-game win streaks helped guide the ‘Cats to a 15-5 regular season record. The first two rounds of the playoffs were played in South Windsor.

Edwards received the nod for round two against the eleventh seeded Hamden Green Dragons. Despite a rocky fourth inning, the freshman kept Hamden from ever taking a lead and sent the ‘Cats to the state quarterfinals for the first time in nearly a decade.

Despite dropping the quarterfinal game to Staples, Edwards values it as one of the top moments of his baseball career. “Facing Hiro Wyatt, a future MLB draft pick, in the playoffs of my freshman year is right up there with winning the 13u Connecticut Legion state tournament,” Edwards said.

Following his freshman campaign, Edwards knew what he had to do in preparation for the following year.

“The biggest thing for me over the past year has been to put on size. It helped me perform at a higher level, and I’d tell any 13/14 year old kid to start getting in the gym because it can only benefit you in the end,” Edwards stated.

When spring finally arrived in 2024, the Bobcats baseball team got ready for a new season with expectations through the roof. The team started off 3-0, but would hit a couple obstacles and scratch their way to a 13-7 record.

In a contest against the Wethersfield Eagles, Edwards would toss his first career no-hitter. While the game was called after the fifth inning due to CIAC run limit rules, the impressive feat still stands.

The ‘Cats went on to host round one of the playoffs against rival Manchester. Coach Mike McDermott would give Edwards the nod. With a packed crowd in attendance, Edwards dominated the Red Hawks.

Manchester struggled to score on the lefty the entire game, but Edwards faced no such issue himself, driving in four runs of his own to back his six inning, one run outing on the mound. The Bobcats would emerge victorious, but face a tough loss in the next round to Newtown, ending their 2024 season.

While the emotions were running high for the members of the team, Edwards did what he’s done his entire life: get to work, and that work would finally result in what every athlete dreams so much of.

With new rules preventing athletes from the class of 2026 and on from receiving official offers until the conclusion of their sophomore year, Edwards had to wait until August 1 of 2024 to get those calls, but once the day hit, the offers started to pour in.

“I had a very long recruitment process, really starting back in 8th grade. Multiple division one schools reached out and I’m very blessed and thankful for everyone who recruited me,” Edwards said.

The mix of a new school year, recruitment, and practice can overwhelm most athletes, but Edwards was able to stay grounded by the support of his family.

“My family’s invested so much time and money into different showcases for me and gave up their time to watch me play in a variety of different places,” Edwards remarked.

Few can say they’re as proud as Brayden’s father, Travis Edwards.

“I’m proud of the work Brayden puts in when no one is watching. It’s the commitment to improving that has got him where he is today,” Travis told The Prowl

When junior year rolled around, Brayden already had several Division 1 teams offering him scholarships. Wanting to commit early and focus more on the upcoming season, Brayden would make his pick earlier than most expected.

Brayden’s choice was difficult at first, but became easy over time.

“It’s a winning culture with lots of success. I was given the opportunity to both pitch and play outfield which is something I valued highly during this process,” Brayden said.

Another big thing for Brayden was the coach’s history with the school, “The coaching staff has been there for [many] years, and I think it reflects the type of people and program they’ve built,” Brayden stated.

On Oct. 15, Brayden took to Instagram, announcing his official verbal commitment after all the years of work.

Through all the years of discipline and sacrifice. Despite all the triumph and failure. After all the judgement given to him by those who criticized his choice to go to a public school, it was finally Brayden’s time for glory.

After graduation in 2026, Brayden will officially become the newest member of the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils baseball team.

This story was originally published on The Bobcat Prowl on November 11, 2024.