Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Boys of Summer

Summer is just around the corner and of course the boys of summer are out in full force. A former student of mine, Ryan Morgan, who just ended his junior year, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 26th round on June 6th. He was the 775th overall pick. Ryan signed a contract with the Royals this past Monday (9th)—of which I get a handsome cut—I wish! Kudos Ryan!

Ryan’s a great guy and a superb athlete. I had Morgan in my TH 3000 class, and he was a hard worker. He’s not a wunderkind, all brains and brawn, but he’s a disciplined hard worker. Like other students, he would meet with me one on one to make sure he understood the essays and class material. He was determined to earn an A in my class, and with hard work he did just that. Keep in mind he was juggling baseball, other classes, and extra curricular activities.

At Rockhurst University we are dedicated to developing the whole person. The Jesuits call it cura personalis. We also stress magis, striving for excellence, empowering a person to excel to the best of their God-given talents. Not everybody can be a Ryan Morgan. But everybody has their own special gifts and with hard work, discipline, and determination you can realize your dreams. The faculty at Rockhurst are here to draw forth the latent gifts and talents of students and empower them to make their dreams come true.

Ryan’s love is baseball and his dream was to pitch in the major leagues. Ryan hails from St. Louis, MO and as a junior he posted a 3-4 record with a 3.89 ERA while striking at 74 hitters on 69.1 innings this past season. During his three seasons at Rockhurst University he ended with a 10-11 record and a 3.67 ERA. Ryan struck out 205 batters and issued 94 walks in 218 innings.

In a Rockhurst interview Ryan noted, “I had a feeling I would be drafted by the Royals. I had a good day at their tryout camp. It seemed like they were high on me.” Morgan also made a big impression on the St. Louis Cardinals at their tryouts with his fastball clocking between 92 and 94 mph.

He’s the fifth player to be drafted during the 14 year tenure of head coach Gary Burns. We have a good athletic program at Rockhurst University that stresses academic achievement. Check us out. http://www.rockhurst.edu/ru_athletics/index.asp


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