By the time Riley O'Brien jogged in from the bullpen at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 6, the years had already been heavy on his right arm. They had also been generous. There were the bus rides that blended together during long nights in the minors. There were the quiet throwing sessions that sometimes felt like conversations with doubt. There was a debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 that came and went in an instant, followed by a brief stop in Seattle and then a trade to St. Louis that offered hope but not certainty. On that warm Los Angeles night, with two outs in the eighth and the tying run threatening, O'Brien relied on what nearly a decade of work had taught him. He took a breath, trusted the process and attacked the strike zone.
Four batters later he had his first major league save. His fastball touched triple digits. The box score captured the moment through velocity and outs. O'Brien measured it through everything that had led him there.
"It's been a grind and nothing came easy," he said. "I was at one of my lowest points, thinking I might be done with baseball, then I got an opportunity at C of I. Going through that shaped who I am today."
The College of Idaho was not where he expected his career to turn upward. Out of high school he chose the junior college route and landed at Everett Community College in Washington. He was not a highly recruited arm. He was still trying to determine if he could keep pitching at all. Over two seasons at Everett he logged only 67 innings. Interest from four-year programs was limited. That is when The College of Idaho called and offered him a chance to become a Yote.
"College of Idaho was willing to take a chance on me and I'm very grateful they did," O'Brien said. "The school and baseball program were a great fit and really helped contribute to my later success."
Head coach Shawn Humberger, known to everyone as Hummer, had tracked O'Brien long enough to see potential hidden beneath uneven numbers. Everett coach and former Yote standout Levi Lacey vouched for him, noting the frame, the arm speed and the way the ball carried out of his hand. Confidence would come later.
"Riley was just learning how to pitch at Everett and didn't have many innings under his belt," Humberger said. "He struggled his first year with us, but continued to develop physically. By the start of his second year, it was evident he had pro level stuff, but he still struggled with confidence. About halfway through his senior season, the mental and the physical jelled and he became a force."
The numbers showed that growth. In 2016, he threw 69.2 innings for the Yotes and posted a 3.23 ERA with 60 strikeouts. In 2017 he became sharper and more composed. His ERA dropped to 2.15. He struck out 81 and walked only 23. Scouts began to take notice.
"It probably didn't hit me until around my senior year," O'Brien said. "My junior year was spent trying to get back on track. Everything started to click my senior year and as the year went on it seemed more and more possible that I could get drafted."
On June 13, 2017, Tampa Bay selected him in the eighth round, making him the 11th Yote drafted and the highest pick in program history. He celebrated with his family and got to work. He started near the bottom of the Rays system and understood what the years ahead would demand.
"There were five other levels higher and then the MLB," he said. "I knew it was just beginning and it was going to be a long journey."
His foundation in Caldwell guided him. At The College of Idaho he rebuilt both his delivery and his mindset. He had coaches who pushed him and teammates who filled his days with laughter and music. The bus rides in rookie ball and the small crowds felt familiar because he had already pitched through nerves in early spring cold and late May pressure with scouts lining the rails.
"Perseverance was something I learned about at C of I just going through my ups and downs," he said. "When I got drafted and was in the minors, I already had a good understanding of what lay ahead."
His professional path took several turns. After being traded to the Reds in 2020, he earned a spot on their 40-man roster later that year, the first Yote to do so since 2007. He made his debut with Cincinnati in 2021. The next two seasons brought more movement, including time with Seattle and then a trade to St. Louis in 2023.
Humberger watched those years with pride and perspective.
"It is not going to be gifted to you and it is probably never going to be easy," he said. "Keep grinding, keep getting better and always believe in your abilities."
That belief carried O'Brien through the summer of 2025. On Aug. 4 he earned his first big league win. Two nights later he earned his first save, retiring four of five batters in a 5-3 Cardinals win. His fastball averaged 98.6 mph and touched 100.1.
His seasons are still anchored in routine. He rests after each year, then builds slowly, adding volume and intensity. He lifts throughout the winter. He gives himself room to breathe.
"The season can be so mentally draining and stressful that it's important to give yourself a break," he said.
He recommends The College of Idaho without hesitation.
"It felt like everyone was friends with each other," he said. "The coaches were smart, focused on winning and held us to a high standard."
The College of Idaho did not hand him a career. It handed him an opportunity and a standard. He carried both with him through every promotion and setback. Perseverance became his habit. It became the link between a Yote in Caldwell and a Cardinal in St. Louis.
On the nights when the crowd is loud and the situation tight, O'Brien returns to one simple truth. The next pitch is the only one that exists.
Story adapted from Caldwell Courtside October 2025
