By ALLYSON MORIN
Special to The Westfield News
RYAN SUMMERS
LOUSVILLE – It isn’t that often that a local athlete steps up to the plate of a much greener field.
Westfield native Ryan Summers entered his second year with the Louisville Cardinals baseball team this spring. His second season with the third-ranked nationally seeded team proved to be a period of hard work and personal growth. Coming off a redshirted freshman season, the former Berkshire School student saw more action on the field. Summers, who had 29 outfield starts in 2015, batted .231 with 6 RBIs. The sophomore earned a slugging percentage of .312 and an on base percentage of .318.
Lousville’s Ryan Summers, of Westfield hits his stride against Wake Forest. (Courtesy of Louisville University Sports Information)
The catcher/outfielder made his first collegiate at-bat as a pinch hitter Feb. 16, 2014 against Delaware. He went on to earn his first career hit with a single up the middle as a pinch hitter a month later against Stanford. That year, Summers batted .295, had 5 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. He had a slugging percentage of .432 and an on base percentage of .385. With little time off the bench in 2014, 2015 saw Summers contributing to the Cardinals’ several exciting victories.
At NCAA Regional Championship time, the road to success began with a 7-2 win over Michigan at Jim Patterson Stadium. An ensuing 4-3 victory lifted Louisville to a regional final. Summers contributed to an historic 13-4 win over Michigan at the NCAA Regional Championship when a sacrifice fly allowed Summers to score at home plate. The championship was the Cardinals highest scoring performance in an NCAA postseason game since 2007 and extended their postseason home winning streak to 11 games overall.
Louisville’s Ryan Summers, of Westfield swings against Michigan. (Courtesy of Louisville University Sports Information)
It was a tough start for Louisville. The Cardinals suffered an extra inning loss to the 11th ranked Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Super Regional. Despite a home run in the bottom of the ninth from senior Mike White, the Titans pulled ahead for good in the 10th inning. It was a hard loss which ended the Cardinals 11 game postseason home winning streak. Their luck turned favorable next game with a 9-3 win which set up a winner-take all NCAA Super Regional finale which ultimately ended in a heartbreaking 11th inning loss to end the Cardinals season (47-18).
With another season of baseball under his belt, a season of more ups than downs, Summers looks ahead to more opportunities on the field. It’s been a hard traveled road to Louisville from his days at Berkshire School and as his skill for the game progresses it will be exciting to watch how he evolves with the sport.
