UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State baseball freshman Ryan Ford is already making his mark on the program, demonstrating the team's determination to succeed this season.
Ford hit a crucial walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning on Sunday, leading his team to a 3-2 victory over UMass Lowell. This victory completed a weekend sweep at home against the River Hawks.
"It was awesome. It was my first walk-off hit obviously for the Nittany Lions. It was an incredible experience," Ford said.
Head coach Rob Cooper is excited about the talent Ford brings to the team.
"He's shown a really mature approach for a freshman," Cooper said. "He was big for us this weekend, obviously that was a big at-bat he had there at the end, and I'm proud of him. I'm glad he's on our team."
Ford also had another RBI earlier in the game during the sixth inning in the form of a sacrifice fly out to center field, allowing sophomore Kris Kremer to score, tying the score up 1-1.
Cooper also loves his work ethic.
"It wouldn't shock me if he was in the cage on the way out of here, working. He loves to learn about the game," Cooper said.
That intense work ethic is also noticeable to Ford's teammates. Sophomore RHP Conor Larkin, who pitched five innings on Saturday, sees Ford constantly putting in hard work.
"I see him working hard day in, day out," Larkin said. "He's getting more opportunities, and really making the best of it. Just from being around him, he's an extremely hard worker and he wants to get things done."
Noting the difficulties of being a freshman and trying to adjust to college, while also trying to make an impact for the team, Cooper feels that Ford is extremely capable of handling the pressure and succeeding.
"There can be a lot of pressure on a young person, so a lot of times when those freshmen come in, they'll tell you after their first year, 'gosh it was like drinking water out of a fire hose, everything was just coming at me,'" Cooper said. "Ford has done a pretty good job of slowing it all down and just playing the game, and the quicker you can do that, which is really hard, the better, and that's what you're seeing from him."
Ford has been longing to make an impact on the season, and is happy to get to do just that so early on. Being able to help his team find a way to win on Saturday, meant a lot to him.
"It feels awesome. That's all I wanted to do coming into this season, just contribute, and just help this team win," Ford said.
The program as a whole is feeling pretty good due to its recent success, as the team is 13-3 and is 6-0 in one-run games compared to 5-13 last year in the same game situations.
"The team morale couldn't be any better. I mean we just fight, all of us. [There's] a bunch of fighters on this team," Ford said.
The Nittany Lions kick off Big Ten conference play this weekend, as they host the Minnesota Gophers in a three-game series beginning Friday, March 22nd at 4 p.m.
