Most of the times I go to a college team website I’m looking for a specific player. Sometimes the opposite happens- I’ll go to the stats page, and see a line that just jumps off the page. I’ll wonder, “I better look this guy up. Maybe he played in the Valley.” Nine times out of ten, he didn’t.
This time, however, it was the one time out of ten.
Of course, I’m talking about Liberty’s Ryan Seiz. I went to Liberty’s site looking for Adam Parks, and this stat line jumped out at me: 392/476/688 in 45 games and 176 at-bats, with 47 runs, 69 hits, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, 121 total bases, and a 24/38 BB/K ratio.
Whoa. And does that name look familiar? I opened my 2013 player file, and there he is- Ryan Seiz, from Liberty, playing for the New Market Rebels. How did I not know this before? To add insult to injury, Ryan is also from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School– my alma mater! (Although I graduated a significant number of years before he did.)
Well, I think it’s safe to say that Ryan is having a fantastic junior season in Lynchburg. He is leading the Flames in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He’s tied for first in triples, and is second in walks. And it’s not like he’s doing this for a terrible division II team, either: Liberty, according to Baseball America, is in line to host a regional in this year’s NCAA Tournament, as the Flames have dominated Big South competition and are currently 35-10.
Ryan played his first two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Liberty. In 2011, he hit 234/301/335 in 56 games and 158 at-bats. In 2012, he batted only 39 times, and then he sat out 2013 under NCAA transfer rules.
I would like to think that the Valley helped Ryan prepare for this breakout season, even though he batted only 41 times for the Rebels, hitting 244/340/390 with one home run.
One thing, though, is for sure: Ryan is having a terrific season at the plate for the Liberty Flames.
All Things Valley League 