Ryan Rutherford '22 Recruiting Profile

Baseball is not just a sport for me, it is also mental.  Mental by always having me think outside of the box.  What and how will this batter swing?  Can he hit a curve ball?  What about a slider?  Should I swing high, swing low?  Is my stance sound?  Can I ease a few more steps from this base to steal?  Always having to think and strategize on what is happening next.   I am that player for Coach.  Where do you need me?  How can I help the team?  Need encouragement, I got this?  Little guy on the team, you are a team member, let’s play.  Baseball keeps me humble.  Baseball keeps me focused.  

I haven’t played baseball all my life.  I started in middle school because a neighbor played and he needed someone to throw with.  Baseball came natural to me and I really enjoyed the comradery, having to strategize, it is not all about 1 person.   When I started baseball, I didn’t know what position was best for me, so little league allowed me to go to every spot on the field.  Now 6 years in, I have officially played in every position on the field, catcher, pitcher, infield, outfield, and on the bench.  My biggest strength is being that team player.  My passion is to Pitch, the anticipation, the unknown, the strategy. 

Baseball keeps me focused on and off the field.  Academically, I am not the  best.  Tests are not my strength.  But what baseball has taught me, is do the work all around, homework, class participation, the other will come.  Outside of baseball, I enjoy being the community big brother.  Giving back and helping in the community and always being the care taker of the younger kids on my block and around.  Kids gravitate to me.  No idea why, but they do.  

 I am now in my senior year of high school.  Not sure how it will go with COVID, but what I do know is, I want baseball in my long term future.  After my freshman year of playing High School Baseball, everything clicked.  I really want to go to college to play baseball while studying an area of interest that supports community/public interests.  Baseball helps keep me focused and my eye on the prize.  Hopefully this next step will allow me to, college degree and maybe, just maybe a Pitcher in Major League Baseball.