Rylan Bullis found his place at Airport High School. 

After transferring from Brookland-Cayce before his junior season, Bullis was reunited with childhood teammates to help in their pursuit of a state title. 

“It felt like home,” Bullis said. “I have a really good connection there. Those have been my boys for a long time, and grinding with them to almost win a state championship was really special to me.” 

Bullis quickly established himself as a key player in Airport’s hitting and pitching lineups. He finished 2026 with the second-most hits, third-most RBIs and the second-best batting average on the team. As a pitcher, he had the most appearances and the second-most wins. 

His contributions to both facets of the game earned him a spot on the 4A All-State team and helped him get voted Lexington County’s Male Athlete of the Year. 

While his individual accomplishments were impressive, Bullis felt like he could’ve done more to help the team win in the end. 

“I had a pretty good year, but I was expecting more,” he said. “Will definitely be way better next year.” 

Airport’s season concluded just short of achieving its second straight state title. The Eagles won in 2025 and reached the final series in 2026 before losing the trophy to A.C. Flora. 

Bullis, who wasn’t on the team in 2025, is still hungry for that taste of championship glory. 

“It is a very big goal of mine to win a state championship,” he said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t, but we’ll be back next year.” 

Getting to the top of that mountain would be the culmination of Bullis’ entire baseball career so far. 

He first started playing the game at 3 years old. While he initially also tried out other sports, including football, basketball and soccer, baseball was the one he fell in love with. 

The connections he made with the other players and his coaches kept him coming back every year. 

Baseball is how Bullis met many of his best friends and current Airport teammates. They all used to play for the same team as young children coached by his dad. 

“Before practice, we used to do stuff like kick the soccer ball around,” Bullis said. “Good memories.” 

Outside of his teammates, he credits all of his coaches, his parents, sister and grandparents as influential figures in his life. 

This past season with Eagles coach Casey Bradwell had a tremendous effect on his development as a baseball player and a young man. 

“I’m beyond grateful for him,” Bullis said. “He challenges me every day to be the best version of myself.” 

The player-coach duo will have one more year together before Bullis moves on to the next chapter of his baseball story. 

He plans to work relentlessly in the offseason to improve his game and better the team's odds at reaching the state championship for the third straight year. He also wants to be in contention to be named South Carolina Player of the Year. 

Beyond high school, Bullis is committed to play Division I baseball at Presbyterian. The commitment was a no-brainer for Bullis once he made a familiar connection. 

“Felt just like home. It felt just like Airport,” he said.