Ryan Galanie was the best hitter in a stacked Strasburg Express lineup, and got even better in the playoffs, helping to drive the club to a title. He was so good, in fact, that his name is entered three times in the 1994-2021 League record book.
In the regular season, Galanie, a 6-foot-2, 210 pound infielder from Wofford, hit .383/.481/.617 in 128 at-bats, with 42 runs scored, 26 RBIs, nine doubles, seven home runs, an outstanding 22/19 BB/K ratio, and 19 stolen bases in 24 attempts. He finished second in the league in batting average, fourth in OPS, third in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, fifth in walks, fourth in total bases (with 79), tied for sixth in RBIs, fifth in home runs, tied for fifth in doubles, and first in hits and runs scored. An obvious All-Star selection, he went 1-2 with a run in the game itself. He was named first team All-Valley at third base after the season.
He was Hitter of the Day on July 23, in the middle of a stretch in which he had a hit in ten straight games (his last ten, actually), and he also had an 11-game hitting streak from June 21 to July 3. He had two hits 16 times, and three or four hits once each. On July 23 at Purcellville, he went 4-7, with two runs, a double, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Six days later, against Woodstock in Strasburg, he went 3-5, with four runs scored, a home run, three RBIs, and a walk.
But he was just getting started. In six playoff games, he hit .480/.567/.680, with 10 more runs scored, two doubles, a home run, four RBIs, 4/5 BB/K, and seven stolen bases. He had two hits in every playoff game!
So putting it all together, his combined batting average of .399 is tied for 15th best in the years between 1994 and 2021. His combined on-base percentage of .495 is also tied for 15th, and his total of 54 runs is third (behind the 2019 version of Aidan Nagle, and Leo Rojas in 2012).
He only batted six times for Wofford in 2020, all as a pinch-hitter, but he was still named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll. In 2021, he hit .196/.297/.232 in 56 at-bats, with two doubles, six RBIs, a 7/18 BB/K, and three stolen bases.
Of his experience, Galanie said, “Coming into the Valley this past summer I was just excited to get back to playing and working to get consistent reps all summer. I just really wanted to focus on being as consistent of a player as I could… [Strasburg’s] hitting coach Collin Scott really helped me be consistent with my swing mechanics, which I couldn’t be more grateful for… I don’t know if I would’ve played the same this summer without him or George [Laase] coaching me… I have always believed God has a plan for us all and going to Strasburg was definitely one of those things He put into my path.”
Congratulations for your fantastic summer!
All Things Valley League 