In-demand Salmon Arm pitcher Ryan James, 17, currently has two offers to play ball for university teams to decide between as he pursues his dream of playing in the big leagues.
Currently in Grade 12 at Salmon Arm Secondary (SAS), Ryan has been playing U18 AAA baseball and has been a starting pitcher with the Kamloops Riverdogs College Prep Team since 2019. He recently took part in the Canadian College & University Showcase in Langley March 4 and 5, which resulted in the above offers from Upper Fraser Valley University and for the Okanagan College Coyotes.
“Ryan puts in countless hours at the field, training in the weight room and training with his team,” dad Bill James said of his six-foot, 170 lb. son, who started playing at age seven, eventually advancing through Pee Wee AA and Bantam AAA levels.
He found baseball as a way to take his mind off of things and have some fun after his mother died of a rare illness. His love of the game grew from there, and his dad said that “Ryan has always felt his mother gave him a special skill to play ball and be a pitcher when she passed.”
That includes having thrown a fast ball upwards of 84 MPH last summer, while his best pitches are his off-speed pitches which include his curve ball, slider and splitter.
“The thing Ryan likes most about playing ball is simple,” his dad added. “Striking guys out.”
Ryan has honed his skills with dedication, participating in off-season training camps for strength, speed and agility, and has had one-on-one training with former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and coach Eric Owens in Kelowna. Going forward, the young athlete hopes to hit it out of the park and play in the MLB himself.
“Ryan’s goals for his career include the plan to take baseball as far as he can through post-secondary education with the hopes of turning pro in the big leagues someday,” Bill said. “Or being involved at that high level as it relates to sports therapy…”
In addition to Ryan, there are five other SAS players on the Kamloops College Prep team, including Bradley Dawson, Ethan Harrison, Tate Spence and Eric Thompson, as well as Damon Golz from A.L. Fortune Secondary in Enderby.
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