My favorite level of baseball to cover is JUCO baseball and it isn’t even close. The JUCO is level is packed with talent and guys who just know how to get after it day in and day out. Ryun is not only a JUCO Bandit but also plays for one of my favorite JUCO teams, Spokane Falls Community College. Watch for Ryun to join me on the podcast later this week to talk some baseball.
Name: Ryun Cross
School: Spokane Falls Community College
College Grade: Freshman
GPA: 3.2
Summer team: Pierre Trappers (Expedition League)
Positions: LHP
Throw (right or left): Left
Hit (right or left): Right
1. What are some areas of your game that you have been focusing on lately to improve upon?
One area that I have been working on for a few years now has been my mental approach when I am pitching. I’ve found that the biggest thing that was holding me back was myself. I have been working on having a much more confident approach to each pitch I make and not trying to worry about what team I am facing, or who is hitting, or even the result of the last batter. I’ve noticed a significant increase in my results when I am confident in my abilities and I trust my teammates behind me to make plays, which they do basically every time!
2. What are some goals and dreams you hope to reach in the next couple of years?
My goal is to move on and play at a 4 year school after I am done at the JUCO level, ideally it would be at the D1 level but really my goal is just to continue to play baseball for as long as possible, so whatever the best fit for me is, that is the direction I will go! Obviously a dream would be to play professional baseball, and I am going to work hard to try and get there, but if that does not work out I plan on becoming an Elementary school teacher!
3. How long have you been playing baseball and what got you started in the game?
I have been playing baseball since Kindergarten, I started out at T-Ball and just fell in love with the game and I continued to play ever since then. What got me started was when my family and I were on a vacation at the Oregon coast. We got a wiffle ball and bat at a local store and went down to the beach and drew out a little field in the sand. That was the first time I ever played baseball, and I fell in love with the game and have been playing ever since that day.
4. What are some of your favorite things about the game of baseball?
Some of my favorite things about it is the fact that it is such a team sport. A team cannot win a game unless you pitch well, you hit well, and you play defense well. I also love the fact that it creates lifelong friendships with your teammates, and can teach you so many things about life just by being at the yard. I’ve found that I have learned more about myself by being on the baseball field with my teammates and coaches than I have anywhere else, and that to me makes this game the best. Not to mention the smells and the sounds, you just can’t beat them.
5. Who in your life has helped push you to be your best on the field?
I am fortunate enough to have so many people in my life help me to be the best version of myself on the field. From my family, to my teammates past and present, and especially my coaches past and present, they all have had a significant role in getting the most out of me and are a big reason why I am still playing this game at the college level. I certainly give a lot of credit to my family, because they are the most supportive people I know. They established in me that I need to work hard to get where I want to go, and they have always been by my side through the good and the bad. I could name so many more, because like I said I am very fortunate to have so many people help me to be the best that I can be.