Perfect Time for a Homecoming

By Aaron Arnstein/NJ College Baseball Nation

Ryan Ramsey is no stranger to success.

Fresh off pitching the 20th nine-inning perfect game in Division I history, Ramsey will make arguably his biggest start of the year tomorrow against first-place Rutgers. But to Ramsey, this game means more than just two teams battling for first place in the Big Ten.

Ramsey’s outing will mark his homecoming to New Jersey, where he grew up and won state championships at Pascack Hills High School. The Montvale native has not pitched competitively in the Garden State since he graduated in 2019.

Ramsey sees a lot of similarities between the state champion Pascack Hills teams and the current Maryland squad. “There wasn’t one singular leader. That’s what we kind of have, Chris Alleyne as our leader, Sean Heine as our leader, Matt Shaw as our leader, all just a good spoken voice of people who just want to win,” the left-hander said.

“It’s cool to be a part of a team that was one of the greatest in New Jersey. That’s what we’re trying to do here [with Maryland], be one of the greatest teams,” he said.

Ramsey moved from Florida to New Jersey in 2012 before moving to Maryland after graduating high school. But New Jersey is where he fell in love with baseball. “New Jersey was the birthplace of Ryan Ramsey and baseball,” he said.

He credits growing up with good coaching as an important factor to his success at the college level. Ramsey worked with pitching guru and New Jersey native Jim Wladyka for three years and played a major role in Ramsey’s ascension to NJ.com Pitcher of the Year in 2018.

Ramsey also said his success is largely due to his father, Randy. “My dad was one of my biggest coaches going from Little League to middle school to high school. He’d be my second ear, even if sometimes I wouldn’t want to listen to him,” the junior said. Maryland Pitching Coach Mike Morrison said Ramsey’s father, who played collegiately at Mount St. Mary’s, is a tremendous supporter of Ryan and rarely misses Ryan’s starts, even if it’s just an offseason intersquad game.

Ramsey said his parents and sister will be in attendance this weekend. He hopes a few of his former high school teammates including current Villanova pitcher Brandon Siegenthaler will make the trip to Bainton Field as well.

Maryland Head Coach Rob Vaughn said his favorite part of last Friday’s perfect game was seeing the embrace between Ramsey and his parents. “Watching him hop over the fence and give his dad a hug is a moment that burns into your memory,” Vaughn said. “To see the sheer joy on their face and the raw emotion from that is one of the things that makes this job extremely rewarding.”

After a days-long, statewide celebration of his perfect game, which included throwing out the first pitch at Monday’s Orioles game, Ramsey turns his attention to Rutgers. “Chances are we’re probably not getting another perfect game out of him next Friday but I know he’ll go out there and give us a chance to win,” Vaughn said.

Ramsey’s perfect game was not a fluke. The starter-turned-reliever earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. This year, he’s pitched at least six innings in all but two of his 11 starts. He leads the conference with a 8-0 win-loss record and ranks in the top four in innings pitched (70.2), ERA (2.42) and opponents’ batting average (.175).

“I don’t think he even had to prove anything to anybody nationally. I think he knows and everybody around the country knows what kind of pitcher he is,” Vaughn said.

The success has been a culmination of the work the left-hander has put in over the past year. “He’s really bought into a lot of arm care, he’s really bought into a lot of the weight room stuff, he’s bought into his body since Christmas break,” Morrison said. “He’s as locked in as any kid or player I’ve ever played with or been around.”

Vaughn and Morrison see a bright future in baseball for Ramsey. “The next step for Ryan is professional baseball. I think the big question you have as a scout is that he’s great in the bullpen, how does that translate as he moves into a starting role, and he’s answered about every one of those questions this year,” Vaughn said.

“He’s going to have a chance at worst be a guy who gets a chance to make it up to the big leagues as a bullpen guy,” Morrison said before Ramsey’s last start. “The sky’s the limit. You don’t go 7-0 with a 2.30 ERA at a top 20 program in the country on accident.”

Amidst all the accolades and national recognition Ramsey has received over the past week, he traces it all back to his time spent in New Jersey.  “It’s a big part of your life. All the friends that you meet in school, all the memories that I have,” he said.

“It’s just cool to be back.”

Photo courtesy of Joe Noyes, Maryland athletics