College Baseball Becomes Reality For James

Ryan (RJ) James RHP / John A MacDonald, ON / 2024

TORONTO - Through Covid and then a broken finger, RJ James did what he could to fulfill his goal of playing college baseball in the States. Two trips to Evansville helped fulfill the dream with an offer in the fall and a commitment in the spring.

“Over the March break I went there for a full day,” James reflected. “I walked around and looked at the facilities and their plans for the future. I really like how they do things there with a lot of technology, tuning in on each player. The diamond is pretty new, built in 2020, with more to come. They really are investing more into their baseball program.

“It’s a smaller school which I wanted to go to and it fits my desired academics,” added James, who is considering a major in business/tech. “The teacher-to-student ratio is good, 13-1. Coach (Wes) Carroll is very big on doing well on and off the field.

“Overall, I’m just grateful. I wanted to find a school where I could play an important role and also do well academically and Evansville checked all the boxes.”

Interest initiated after the John A. McDonald High School junior had recovered from a broken middle finger on his throwing hand.

“At the end of August I had fully recovered and that put me in a position to reclassify,” explained James, the seventh-ranked 2023 right-handed pitcher in Ontario at the time. “They had seen me in a tournament in Ohio in late July and I threw five innings with 12 Ks. I knew they were interested in me because my coach said they wanted to see me on the fall trip.

“I pitched one game when I went there and I talked to coach Carroll, the head coach. There was an immediate connection. We went over the program and academics and we kept in touch. I also learned more about the program from the assistant coach and strength coach.”

An offer came soon after that first visit.

“A week after the fall trip in October they offered,” James said. “I accepted a week after the March trip. I was ready to commit. I knew it was the right fit.”

Evansville was impressed with the possibilities the 6-1 200-pound righty might bring to the program.

“They found interest in my offspeed and pitchability,” James explained. “I’m able to spin it and stay consistent, that’s the thing that they liked as well as my command. With time they knew my fastball would come.”

Improvement was enhanced during the injury to his finger.

“I got a personal trainer and worked on my weaker points,” James pointed out. “I improved my core strength, putting on 20 pounds of good weight. My fastball went up to 88-89-90, and my spin has gone up from around 2,600-2,700 to 3,000-plus.”

The idea of playing at the next level has been around long before his velocity and spin rate became college-worthy.

“I knew right from the start I wanted to go to the U.S.,” James said. “I had a strong season during the Covid year. I took the opportunity to work outside, continuously throwing, and I made some big strides then. I knew I could be a D-I pitcher.”

But it was far from easy getting noticed in Canada.

“During Covid it was very tough,” James related. “There was no game video to show which I feel coaches really look at. But I did get invited to the Future Games, that was a big milestone for me. I didn’t have the velo I’d like to have had when I was there, but I showed enough to keep me on the radar.”

Enough to eventually receive two other offers besides Evansville before deciding he wanted to play in college at the Missouri Valley Conference university.

“I believe I will be a reliable pitcher,” James said. “I know I can win, I won two national championships (Canada Games 2022 and 15U Nationals with Whiteby). I have the determination to win. I know how to help make the team win as well as become better myself.”

Now 17, the anticipation of what lies ahead is enormous for James.

“I’m so excited about this and really ready to go,” James said of attending the university in Indiana nearly 11 hours from home. “It’s really motivated me. I want to keep working so by the time I get there I can show them I’m ready to do this.

“I’m really looking forward to playing more games,” James added. “Right now I’m just waiting for our season to come. I just love playing the game.”