Ryan VanDeWater began playing baseball as a 6-year-old in the Hyde Park Little League.  His many years of competing in both school and travel teams since those early days have paid off for the Our Lady of Lourdes senior. Thanks to commitment and dedication, the Hyde Park resident signed his National Letter of Intent Tuesday, November 23rd to join the baseball team at UConn, an NCAA Division One s Ryan VanDeWater signs his Letter of Commitment as his parents look on. chool, next year.

 

A right-handed pitcher for his travel team, The Bronx Bombers, Ryan brings versatility to the Our Lady of Lourdes team as a two-way player who pitches and plays first base.   Ryan’s talent and commitment to the sport led to his appointment as co-captain of the Lourdes team last year.

He received an offer from UConn this fall and plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance and major in Financial Risk Management.  After receiving offers from Georgetown, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Pace University, Ryan chose UConn because he wants to play D1 baseball with a program that has a history of developing players for the next level, has a winning program, and When asked about his future in baseball, Ryan replied, “I plan to play the game of baseball as long as I possibly can. If that takes me to professional baseball I plan on playing at the highest level that I can. Eventually, when the game passes me by as a player, I hope to teach and instruct younger players in their pursuit of excellence in the game of baseball.”

Ryan would like to especially thank his parents for their never-ending support, his family for always being at the games, his coaches for teaching him so much over the years, and for believing in him unconditionally. Lastly, he would like to thank his friends and teammates who have been by his side, always encouraging him to do his best.

Ryan’s family, friends, and OLL teammates along with Lourdes President, Catherine Merryman, Athletic Director William Kyle, and Lourdes Varsity Baseball Coach, Chris Lugbauer were all on hand for the signing to support and congratulate him.