Flaco Guapo Media founder, Jim Sánchez
SAN ANGELO – “When the Angelo State university men’s baseball team held off Rollins 6-5 on June 10, 2023, to win the Division II National Championship game, it was mission accomplished for this 52-9 regular season Lone Star Conference team.
As for the voice of the Rams’ baseball team, Jake Trussell Broadcaster of the Year Awards, six-time broadcaster of the year recipient, Jeremy Bryant achieved the “icing on the cake” pinnacle when he finally got his chance to bring his “fastball” as a radio broadcaster in calling the national championship game. Because Tom Nurre, Angelo States’ regular season announcer was unable to attend the CWS due to work commitments as ASU’s News and Information Specialist.
ASU Coach Kevin Brooks’ blue, and gold “boys of summer” squad was making its third consecutive trip (2021, 2022,2023) to the CWS games being played at USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
In order for ASU get to the championship game, it was going to take straight four wins. ASU’s first game opening win was a 2-1 squeaker vs Southern New Hampshire Penmen, followed by 6-2 win over 2nd seeded, North Greenville, then a 5-3 rematch win against SNH, to finally play for its first ever CWS national championship game vs Rollins.
When Flaco Guapo Media sat down with Bryant he was asked to describe what were his emotions when Rams’ senior, Jacob Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to clear the left field fence. Guerrero’s dramatic shot brought Thomas Cain from first base in to regain the lead over Rollins, 3-1.
“And that is out of here are you kidding me!” an exuberant Bryant yelled into microphone, both as a Ram’s fan and as the sports broadcaster. Guerrero’s home run was the first ever in Angelo State’s five appearances in Cary, North Carolina (16 games) at the DII College World Series.
Later in the eighth inning, the Rams got a run on the scoreboard when Justin Harris singled to left field to drive in Jordan Williams who scored to make it 6-2. That insurance run held up as Rollins came back in the ninth to add three more making it 6-5 before lefthander, Kade Bragg got the final strikeout to cap off the win and ASU’s first ever DII title. With its fourth straight victory to win the title, ASU ended the season with an overall record of 56-9.
In a magical title run to the CWS, ASU's baseball team and its “Ace-on-the-mound” Bryant or actually rather in the broadcast booth, when the tropy was hoisted by the "blue and gold" champs it turned out to be icing on the cake for both.
All of Jeremy’s years of meticulous work ethic and precise details served him well to work on his craft as a radio broadcaster to call that historic championship. “As far as research goes with a day off in between games, I spent eight to 10 hours a day to prepare for both teams.”
In Bryant’s illustrative, 26-year veteran broadcaster’s career as the voice also of ASU’s three other sports teams: football, basketball, and softball teams, he earned the Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2019, consecutively 2017, 2016, 2015, 2008, and his first one in 2006.
Although Jeremy identifies with ASU as its longtime radio broadcaster, many of us thought he was a graduate, he actually holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from Wayland Baptist University.
In 2015, the ASU Alumni Association took care of that when it named Bryant its 2015 Honorary Alumnus due to his long-standing connection to ASU.
