This is a preview of my upcoming article for Inside Publications:
By Jack Lydon
Lane Tech senior Ryan Wong is a serious high school scholar with a wicked curveball. So much so, that Ryan will be throwing that pitch for the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, as well as studying computer science.
Ryan’s Lane Tech coach Sean Freeman, who has coached the 6’1” 185 lbs, senior right-handed pitcher since Ryan was ten years-old, speaks of Ryan in glowing terms.
“Ryan is one of our top pitchers. I feel like we have four #1 pitchers and Ryan in one of them. Ryan throws a 2 seam, a 4 seam, a curveball and slider. And he’s working on a change. His curveball has got the most break. It’s almost at a major league level for its spin rate. Pure stuff-wise that’s his best pitch. But he obviously throws hard and has a good fast ball for a high school kid,” said Freeman.
“The Cal Tech coaches are extremely happy about getting Ryan. Cal Tech is a newer program that is starting to build. They have a young team so he should get a lot of innings right away. They were very excited to get him,” said Freeman.
Ryan has put up some impressive numbers, five wins against two losses with the losses being to Warren Township and Evanston, two top programs. His earned run average is 2.538. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.189. He has 29 strike outs.
I saw Ryan pitch against Von Stueben on May 19, 2021. He got in a little trouble in the first giving up an unearned run but got out of the jam.
He settled down in the second, third and fourth setting the batters down in order.
The fifth was another story. His pitches were up. Von Stueben’s Quinn Basta crushed a line drive up the middle and into center field. Von’s right fielder Anthony Zamora pasted an up-and-in fastball between third and short.
Ryan caught a break when Basta was caught stealing third.
But Ryan walked Von’s third baseman Joe Gonzalez and pitcher Jacob Sfikas singled sharply to left to load the bases.
Ryan threw one outside and in the dirt that Lane catcher Charlie Johnson could not handle. The ball came back to the screen and Anthony Zamora scored from third. The official scorer called it a passed ball. I scored it a wild pitch. Let’s call it a passed ball.
Von Stueben sophomore second baseman hit a fly ball to center deep enough to score Gonzalez from third.
Ryan caught the next hitter looking for the third out. It could have been so much worse. Three well hit singles and a walk for Ryan in the fifth but two runs, only one earned.
What struck me about Ryan’s performance was how mature he was. He did not get rattled. He was pitching in the moment. It was great fun to watch.
And Ryan is putting up these numbers for no ordinary team and against top level competition. Lane is one of the biggest high schools in the state. The Lane baseball team (no longer the Indians) went 25-7 this year and 14-0 in CPS conference play.
Lane won its 4A Regional but dropped a heartbreaking back-and-forth loss to rival New Trier in the 4A Sectional semi-final on June 9, bringing an end to their season and Ryan’s high school career with it.
But Ryan is going to play in college at Cal Tech, a serious academic institution. Not many people play baseball after the age of eighteen. It requires a kind of freakish talent that the Almighty grants to a precious few among us.
As important as that baseball talent is, and it is, Ryan is a scholar as well.
Sporting a 5.31/4.00 GPA and a 34 on the ACT, Ryan took thirteen advanced placement course in high school. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Lane Scholars, Student Council and the Chess Team. He is member of the IHSA All-State Academic Team (2021).
I asked him how he does it. How is he going to handle a computer science major and varsity baseball at Cal Tech?
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge. But I think the work that I have had through high school and juggling baseball has really prepared me for next year. I have been in thirteen AP classes through high school so I think I might be ready. But it’s definitely going to be a challenge,” Ryan said.
College sports is all consuming. For many, the ones we see on television, the student athlete is more athlete than student. How important is baseball?
“I love the game. It’s probably the top priority right now. I love just being around the guys, being part of the team. It takes some of the stress of school and outside stresses away,” Ryan said.
His love for the game was evident when we returned to talking baseball. His big breaking curveball is indeed wicked and he can throw it for a strike.
“To a righty, I love to through the curve ball low and away. Get the swing and miss. Early in the count, I like the backdoor curve. It’s coming at them and breaks into the zone. It really depends on the hitter and the count,” Ryan said somehow with equal measures of pride and humility.
Bright future for a computer programmer with a wicked curveball.
Oh, and he is a golf caddie too. Doesn’t surprise me at all.
