THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507070104
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
The professional baseball career of Portsmouth's Ryan Glynn is now under way. But the 20-year-old Churchland High School graduate intends to put it on hold from Aug. 25 to May 15.
``I'm going to get my degree from VMI with my class,'' said Glynn, who signed a contract with the Texas Rangers at his home on July 1 and departed on Monday to play for the Hudson Valley Renegades in the Class A New York-Penn League in New York.
Glynn, who recently finished his junior year at VMI, will get a degree in business and economics.
The Rangers will send Glynn to Port Charlotte, Fla., after he graduates for extended spring training. He will probably then join a Class A team, perhaps in the Florida State League or at Charleston, S.C.
``Getting my degree could slow down my progress in baseball a little, but it is important to me and my parents,'' Glynn said. ``The Rangers told me they will send a pitching instructor to VMI regularly to work with me.''
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Glynn has a fastball that's been clocked in the 92-94 range. ``Once I hit 97,'' he said.
``The Rangers want me to work on a breaking ball and I've just started throwing a slider,'' added Glynn.
Glynn said the recent draft showed the No. 1 goal of the Rangers, currently locked in a battle with California and Oakland for the American League's West Division lead, is to shore up the pitching.
``I was a fourth-round draft pick and the three picked ahead of me also were pitchers,'' Glynn said. ``In fact, 30 of the 47 players that Texas drafted were pitchers.''
The past season Glynn was picked on the All-Southern Conference team - as an outfielder. He posted a 4-5 pitching record for VMI but drove in 58 runs and hit 14 home runs while also seeing outfield duty when he wasn't on the mound.
For his pitching career at VMI Glynn had an 8-11 record, but there was one eye-popping statistic. He struck out 177 batters in 181 1/3 innings.
He earned a partial grant to VMI from an outstanding high school career at Churchland. Glynn was chosen as the city's most valuable player after the 1992 season, in which he pitched the Truckers to eight victories and carried the second highest batting average in the Southeastern District with a .433 mark.
``I've always set high goals for myself,'' said Glynn. ``I don't want to sound arrogant, but I expect to be in the majors in five years.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BRADY CRONE
Ryan Glynn shows his pitching form at VMI, where he struck out 177
batters in 181 1/3 innings.
Glynn
by CNB