Submitted photos – Tyson Bragg at his recent letter signing ceremony.

By Ray Hamill — Tyson Bragg ended his high school baseball career with his best season yet, and now he’s hoping to carry that momentum on to the collegiate fields.

The McKinleyville graduate recently committed his future to College of the Redwoods at a letter signing ceremony and will begin playing for the Corsairs next season.

And CR head coach Andrew Aiello is excited about the addition to his program and believes Bragg has the talent to have an immediate impact.

“The biggest thing with Tyson is that he’s such an athletic kid,” Aiello said. “He can run around and he can cover a lot of ground. And he has a strong arm as well.”

The CR coach believes Bragg is suited to a lead-off role and is excited about seeing what he can do once he gets on the bases.

“Really, the plan is to send him a lot, he’s that quick.” Aiello said. 

Bragg played a key leadership role for the Panthers this past spring and helped them win the Big 5 and a first-ever Charles Lakin tournament championship.

And he says he’s looking forward to the challenge of playing college ball.

“I started talking to their coaches at the start of the high school season and then I went and visited, and I liked the coaching staff and the team,” he said. “They seem like they’re really invested in their players.”

Bragg follows in the footsteps of former teammate Riley Bates, who joined the Corsairs last year, along with fellow 2024 Mack graduate Branson Dobrec, who also recently committed his future to CR.

Bragg will likely see a lot of time in the outfield.

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Tyson Bragg is greeted by his teammates at home plate after hitting a home run.

“Defensively, he’s a guy that’s pretty sound,” Aiello said. “I think we have a pretty decent group of outfielders. We’ve got a couple of guys coming back and I think he’s going to fit in there.

“We’re really excited. I think the biggest thing is his athleticism and he’s kind of a sneaky power kid with his bat. I think he’s got some power.”

Bragg hit six home runs as a senior with the Panthers.

As for his time at McKinleyville, Bragg says he will remember the good times he spent with his teammates, many of whom he has played alongside for several years, as well as the success they enjoyed together this spring.

“Mostly, I’ll probably remember my senior year,” he said. “We went on a crazy winning streak and it was our best year.

“We just had a lot of talent, and more towards the end of the year we kept our bats going, and on defense we didn’t have many errors. We all played together and backed each other up.”

Bragg also says that his high school head coach Mike Dobrec was hugely influential on his playing career, as were assistant coaches Jeremy Sargent and Ray Luzzi, the latter of whom “changed my swing a lot and really had a big impact,” he said.

He added that coach Aaron Zeller also was a big influence during their time together with the Northern Humboldt Steelheads.

As for his goals at CR, Bragg says he just wants to keep improving as a player and help the team any way he can.

“I just hope to keep my batting average up,” he said.