Tyler Albright

“It changed my life, and made everything better.”

These are words of Tyler Albright, a 2022 uncommitted outfielder of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC, when asked about joining the Dirtbags.

But that is what a person might say when they’ve made a decision to take a path, and that path proves to be monumental and leads to new opportunities

Prior to joining the Bags in the fall of 2018, he was putting a lot of effort into his future as a basketball player. Then he played in a baseball event with Dirtbag Austin Hawke who raved about his own experiences with the organization.  So, Albright decided to attend a tryout. And things haven’t been the same since.

Though he’s still a scholastic basketball player, he says he knows now that baseball is where his future lies.  His time on the hardwood now is to provide him some opportunities to grow his athleticism, and being fast. And he still loves the game. Which should be and is a big deal.

And the Dirtbag’s general manager, Trey Daly also sees the carryover when he says, “Albright plays multiple sports at Grimsley High School and the versatility shows on the diamond. Tyler is a 6.8 runner that makes the game (baseball) look very easy.”

But noticing his opportunites on the diamond has quickly allowed the 6’ and 180 pound high school sophomore who bats right and throws left, to experience the recruiting scene with some pretty prestigious D1 programs from NC on his short list.  

With the process heating up he’s hoping to make a commitment sometime this fall.  Albright sees the factors of academic programs available, the institutional emphasis on baseball, and a relationship with the coaches as key to guiding his decision.

The journey to these current realities has been a process. He learned last spring as a freshman that he could compete with those who are ahead of him.  After playing a couple of games with his school’s JV team, it was on to varsity where he showed he can produce.

And producing on the field is what Tyler is all about.  He plays with such great effort, playing hard and sprinting everywhere.  Defensively he’s capable of holding down all three of the outfield spots, while showing power and swiping bases describe his offensive game.

Since being a Dirtbag, Tyler has found the mental aspects of his game to have grown the most.  His understanding of how to take an approach at the plate perhaps has been the most impacted. Playing with the 15u Dirtbags Tap Out squad in the summer of 2019, he says the guidance by coaches Daly and Hunter Ridge helped him to learn to hit to all fields as opposed to being a pull hitter.

Daly adds, “Tyler can flat out hit! In the box he shows a short compact swing with the ability to spray the ball to all fields. I’m very excited to see what’s in store for Albright in a Dirtbag uniform as he continues to develop.”

The summer of 2019, proved to be quite an experience for Albright as he played with some extremely talented members of his class.  He attributes his growth to such an environment where the competition within the team pushed him and in his words he “thrived”.

Another factor Albright appreciates from his most recent Dirtbag experience is all the winning.  Along the way, his team played in semis at the WWBA in July and the finals of the Future Stars event in Texas.  The run at the WWBA in Atlanta saw his team win 10 straight and the 3 games won in a day to reach the semifinals was “absolutely amazing”.

But while the games and the events are exhilarating for Tyler, he hasn’t lost sight of the big picture and appreciate the process. According to him being a part of Dirtbags is a big deal, as he notes the history and tradition of the organization and how he had no idea how big it was with teams in Virginia and South Carolina, in addition to his home state. He calls being a Dirtbag an “honor” because when you show for a game, “They know you’re good.”

It definitely means something to Tyler Albright to be a Dirtbag.  And as the recruiting unfolds and he takes his abilities to the next level he will surely make that decision with the same purpose he used when he became a Dirtbag.