WXXV Student-Athlete of the Week: Biloxi’s Bryson Pisarich

BILOXI, Miss. — If there’s anyone who knows how to juggle many things at once while excelling at all of them, it’s Biloxi’s Bryson Pisarich.

“It’s all about time management,” said Pisarich. “School is always first. It always has been. It’s just like I said, time management. It’s knowing what comes first and it really doesn’t get jumbled up. I know my priorities and I’d like to say I’m pretty good at it, but it’s just knowing what comes first and having a plan and sticking to it.”

Pisarich is a senior at Biloxi High School and has started on the varsity football and baseball teams since his sophomore year. On the gridiron he’s an interior offensive lineman playing both center and guard, and on the diamond he’s a pitcher and a first baseman with an incredibly powerful bat. Playing sports for the majority of his life, Pisarich says it’s taught him a lot of helpful lessons.

“It’s taught me leadership of course, on and off the field,” said Pisarich. “It’s taught me that, it’s funny, sports has taught me sports isn’t the most important thing, just like I said being a leader. It’s taught me that you kind of got to go with the flow. Can’t control anything or everything I guess. Just control what you can and be grounded. We always say be where your feet are. Just roll with the punches.”

Someone that can attest to his character both on and off the field is head baseball coach Hawtin Buchanan.

“I can’t say enough good things about that kid as far as his leadership on and off the field,” said Buchanan. “He’s one of our captains, and he’s a guy we heavily rely on as far as being a position player in the middle of the lineup and on the mound we rely on him a lot, but too he’s just one of our engines.”

Not only is Pisarich super talented when it comes to sports, but he is also very gifted in the classroom. Pisarich currently has a 34 on his ACT and a 4.O GPA, and was recently named a member of the Biloxi Hall of Fame. He says his commitment to school is a reflection on his parents.

“It’s been enforced on me by my parents since I can remember,” said Pisarich. “They always let me know that school comes first. No matter what my performance looks like on the fields, it’s always about my performance in the classroom. They help supply a pretty strong backbone of academics always being first.”

But being smart isn’t just an advantage in the classroom, it also comes to play when he’s on the mound or in the batters box.

“He’s really, really analytical,” said Buchanan. “He kind of wants to know the why of a lot of things, and it’s from the standpoint of wanting to be better. He’s always thinking through things like okay what do I do here, what do I do here, and he’s gotten really good about being able to kind of use that in certain situations.”

With a mindset always on go with a ton of drive, setting goals is what keeps him motivated.

“I set goals for myself, and that’s the best feeling in the world, is to set a goal and achieve it, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing,” said Pisarich. “That’s how you keep going. You’re not going to go anywhere unless you have a goal for yourself. All you can do is chase it as best as you can.”

One of the goals Pisarich has recently achieved is committing to play baseball at the next level with the University of South Alabama. Although he’s looking forward to being a Jag, he says it’s going to be hard to leave his teammates at Biloxi.

“It’s going be sad,” said Pisarich. “I’ve played with these guys for a really long time and I’ve made relationships that I’m definitely going to keep after high school, but knowing that it’s really not it, that it’s not going to be the last baseball game I’m going to play. It’s going to help with the blow of not being able to play with them anymore. It’s obviously still sad, but I’m really excited to keep doing what I love.”