Braden Bishop has the athletic tools to be a star on both the baseball diamond and the football field. Currently as a junior, Bishop is the two-year starting varsity wide receiver for the St. Francis Lancers. As a sophomore, he accounted for 21 catches for 425 yards with 6 touchdowns and also had 488 return yards with 2 touchdowns. This helped the Lancers to go 9-4 in the season that ended with a CCS Championship 27-22 loss to Bellarmine. His efforts helped earn him WCAL (West Catholic Athletic League) Honorable Mention. For his junior year, he wants to lead the football team to WCAL and CCS championships. Individually, he wants to make WCAL First Team and set the touchdown record for wide receivers for the Lancers.
Bishop is also the three-year starting varsity center fielder for the Lancers. Last year, he had a .425 batting average, 1 home run, 27 runs batted in, 38 runs scored, 9 stolen bases, .588 on base percentage, and .651 slugging percentage. The Lancers went 22-6 and had playoff losses in the first round WCAL playoffs to Saint Ignatius and in the first round CCS playoffs to Menlo Atherton. His consistent play earned him WCAL First Team.
This dual sport star made the decision this past summer to commit to the University of Washington on a baseball scholarship. Even though his junior year had not started, Bishop made this early decision because he says, "I decided to commit early because it all felt right. When I got on campus, it felt like it was the right fit for me. I saw all the schools I was considering and I never got the feeling like I did when I went to UW."
Bishop did not want to be geographically close to home as he wanted to experience someplace new. But at the same time, he wanted to be comfortable with the environment. Bishop has a close connection with Washington Assistant Baseball Coaches Dave Nakama (Nakama's two kids attend high school with Bishop) and Jordon Twohig (Twohig coached Bishop when he was 13 and is a close family friend). As a result, the Seattle campus would be in some ways a home away from home for this Lancer. In addition, Bishop sees the Washington baseball program taking steps in the right direction and the potential to reach the College World Series.
At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bishop can run 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a vertical of 32 inches. His conditioning can be attributed to his mother Suzy, who was a former marathon runner in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. In a recent game against Oak Grove, Bishop made an impossible catch where he turned the wrong way and caught the pass. This uncanny receiving ability translates well to the baseball diamond as he mans center field for the Lancers. The Lancers run a West Coast offense that takes advantage of Bishop's speed, route running, and receiving ability.
This Lancer has been on the varsity team for both baseball and football since his sophomore year. He models his football game after former Lancer and former Cal Bear wide receiver, Chase Lyman. In baseball, he compares his game to former Cal Bear and current Chicago Cub prospect, Brett Jackson. During the offseason, Bishop works with his trainer on quick bursts of speed drills, quick lateral movement drills, and change of speed sprints.
Bishop's athleticism and dual sport status did garner attention from colleges for both sports. Before committing to Washington, he had baseball inquiries from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, and Washington State and he had football contact from Boise State, Cal, Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Northwestern, Oregon State, and Stanford.
This Lancer was looking for aggressive, good coaching staffs for both baseball and football. For football, he wanted to play for an offense that would air it out. If given the opportunity by the Washington football staff, Bishop would consider playing football for the Huskies as well. For baseball, he wanted to play for a team that had a chance to get to the College World Series. This Lancer wanted to be in a big city such as Seattle with professional sports teams. Bishop did not want to go to an overly hot climate, but did not mind the cold. He wanted the college to be also a prestigious Pac-10 school.
Bishop comes across as being more mature than most of his high school peers. He was quite calm and deliberate in his decision. As a sophomore, he was the youngest member of the Lancer football team that was battling their way to the CCS Championship. In 2004, Bishop's paternal grandfather passed away. Bishop had a very close relationship to his grandfather and had to overcome this emotional setback.
St. Francis High Baseball Coach Mike Oakland says, "Braden is an outstanding young man. He is extremely focused and determined. Braden has the work ethic of an elite athlete and will certainly be successful at the next level as he has already been at the high school level. Braden has many great character traits that make him the well respected student-athlete that he is today. Braden pays close attention to detail and is very conscientious. Braden is mature for his age and can do many things on the baseball field to help the program be successful. His biggest asset is his speed and competitive nature. He is also a very accomplished hitter and defender. I can't say enough about this kid, he is a pleasure to coach and fortunately has the athletic skills to make him a standout player in the WCAL."
As a sophomore, Bishop's football teammate, middle linebacker Robert Calcagno, gave him the nickname, "Franchise." Even though the Franchise has already committed to the University of Washington, the Mountain View community can still enjoy the athletic exploits of this two sport star for the next two years at St. Francis High.
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