Could a title run be the perfect swan song for a long-time Grays standout

POCATELLO — For each of the past six summers, Brayden Pieper has been a fixture on the Gate City Grays roster. The Snake River High School and Idaho State University alum has done a bit of everything for the Grays, both on and off the field.

Go to any event the Grays are involved in, and you’ll see the lanky 6-foot-4 Pieper there — reading to kids, offering instruction, or just being part of the community. That community involvement, coupled with his productive play on the field, has shaped what Pieper means to the organization.

And what he means, in a word, is “everything,” according to manager Rhys Pope.

“He is the epitome of a Grays baseball player,” Pope told EastIdahoSports.com. “The fans love him, the guys in the locker room love him, we love him as a coaching staff and a front office.”

But, as all athletes do at some point, he has begun pondering life beyond baseball.

EastIdahoSports.com attempted to confirm a rumor that Pieper may be playing his last season with the Grays.

With a laugh, Pope said: “He’s been saying that for four years.”

As for his own comments on the subject, Pieper did not deny that calling it a career is something he is considering, though he knows it will be a tough decision to make.

“It’s hard to let it go,” he said. “I don’t have a lot going on in the summer that’s much more enjoyable than this.”

With 30 fast-approaching, Pieper was clear about one thing: being successful between the lines will only make the decision more difficult. And he has been successful again this year.

Whether as a designated hitter or an outfielder — or whatever else his team needs from him on a given day — Pieper has been productive with the bat. And when he has been on the mound, he has been among the toughest Grays pitchers to hit.

In his most recent outing, a start against the league-leading Smithfield Blue Sox, the righty got through the fifth inning having allowed just three earned runs. On the back end of a doubleheader, he was asked to get the sixth as well and gave up three more without recording an out.

And while the performance was more than adequate, and enough to earn the decision in a 10-7 win, it was how he carried himself leading up to the start — the way he always carries himself, according to Pope — that stood out to the coaching staff.

The Grays held a slim 10-9 lead in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, and after a one-hour lightning delay changed the pitching plans, Pope approached Pieper, who had already been told he would be getting the starting assignment in game two, and asked him to get ready for a relief appearance in the first game.

Pieper, Pope said, got up and ran to the bullpen without asking any questions. He quickly began to loosen himself to pitch the seventh inning. But Pope decided to stick with Norman Coleman, who had already tossed 2 innings in relief, and told Pieper to back off his warm-up regimen.

Again, Pieper did so without any question.

“If we asked him to play in the outfield, he’s willing to do it. First base. If I asked him to catch, I’m sure he’d go, ‘Hey, I don’t know how well it’s going to go, but I’ll give it a shot,'” Pope said of Pieper’s willingness to do whatever the team needs of him. “And he’s a leader in the clubhouse. The guys really look up to him.”

So what would cause someone who loves the game and has been successful to put down his glove?

Well, winning another league championship might just be the perfect way to round out his Gate City career.

The Grays have not won the Northern Utah League championship since 2018 — before Pieper joined the squad. And that has driven Pieper, even more so than years past, to push himself and his teammates toward that ultimate prize.

“That’s the motivating factor behind coming back every year: every year we seem to be right there, and we let it slip away,” he said. “If that was the high note we could end it on, that would be the perfect moment.”

Gate City finished its season Tuesday night with a road victory over the Hyrum Hornets, securing the 3-seed heading into the playoffs, which begin on Monday. The Grays first-round opponent is still to be determined, but Pope believes that, having already played all six fellow NUL teams four times each, preparation for the playoffs will be based around the Grays and what they need to do, not as much about the opponent.

“If we play our brand of baseball, it doesn’t matter who we play,” Pope said. “We’re going to focus on what we do and the things that we do well, and improve on the things that need work.”

Pieper believes his team has the talent to claim the title, saying that doing so will come down to each player handling their own responsibility.

“Everybody has a job, and if everyone does that job, we’ll be successful,” he said. “If everybody checks their box, we’re a hard team to beat.”