By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – When Ryker Hughes made his Bedford North Lawrence baseball debut, his hair was long and his dedication was short. Things have changed.
Hughes completed his physical and mental transformation to a focused, driven player, signing to play at the collegiate level with UIndy, a successful NCAA Div. II program, on Friday afternoon.
His statistics mirror his development. Hughes has always been a two-position player, patrolling the outfield when he isn’t pitching. His batting average has gone up steadily since his sophomore season, he has become the hard-throwing ace of a solid staff.
“It’s definitely the maturity level, the work ethic, the striving to do better every day,” Hughes said. “That kicked in when I started getting interest from colleges. I realized I had a future in the sport.”
His current numbers are impressive. On the mound, Hughes is 2-0 with a sparking 1.71 ERA, logging 20 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. At the plate, he’s hitting .355 with two home runs and 7 RBIs for the Stars (7-3).
Hughes also played receiver and defensive back in football, but baseball became his passion.
“It’s the competitive nature,” he said. “Everybody wants to be better than everyone else. It’s the one sport where you can change the game as a single player.”
Hughes will get the chance to continue his two-way play with the Greyhounds, one of the reasons he chose that program.
“I wasn’t ready to give one or the other up yet,” Hughes said. “I love the campus, and Halle (his sister) went there for four years so I was already familiar with it. And as soon as I went there for a first visit, they treated me like I was one of them. That made it an easy choice.”
UIndy is coming off a successful 2023 season under head coach Al Ready, who guided the Hounds to the Div. II College World Series.
