Ryan Perez - Switch Pitcher Leads Team to State Title

Ryan Perez
Hometown: Hampshire, IL
High School: Westminster Christian , Elgin, IL
HS Team: Warriors - 1A State Champions 2010
Travel Team: McHenry County Hurricanes

Height:  5-11 Weight:  165
Positions: RHP, LHP, 1B, 3B, SS
Pitching
Fastball:  RHP: 84-86 LHP: 83-85
Curve:  RHP: 67 LHP: 64-66
Changeup:  RHP: 72 LHP: 73
Bats: Switch hitter

Dominant hand: right-handed

When it comes to brushing his teeth, eating, writing and playing other sports, Ryan is always right-handed.

Glove: Akadema Abidextrous Glove
Ryan Perez uses a special glove his brother found after a long search led him to Akadema, a company that specializes in baseball and softball equipment. The glove has six fingers, allowing Ryan to easily switch from one hand to the other.

Goal: "At first I didn't think about that stuff, or at least I'd try not to," Ryan said. "But I think if I keep working really hard I can definitely get to the major leagues."
(source: wcwarriorbaseball.net )
The Warriors standout is ambidextrous in pitching, fielding and hitting.

Why he started pitching with both arms

A lifelong passion for the sport led Juan Perez to experiment with developing an ambidextrous ballplayer when Ryan came along as the youngest of his six children.
"From the moment I put a baseball in his hand, at that time I decided to see if it could be done," Juan said. "I figured he was my last son and I always wondered if it could be done. So I took the chance and tried it with him."

Both father and son agree the process wasn't easy.

Despite being naturally right-handed, Ryan was conditioned by Juan to throw with both hands. When Ryan would pick up a ball with his right hand, Juan would make him move it over to his left.

Eventually it became second nature for Ryan to handle a ball with both hands and throw with both arms. These days, he thinks nothing of the talent.

"A lot of times if he goes to a clinic or something, they go on the side of it being a gift," Juan said. "But Ryan and I know it was a lot of work."

Articles

Westminster's young Perez a dual threat
Ambidextrous Perez turning heads on baseball diamond
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Mercy! Westminster Christian run-rules Goreville for first state title
Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2010

Neither of his pitching arms was operating effectively, but switch-pitching sophomore Ryan Perez's left-handed swing had never been sweeter.

Perez hit two home runs, drove in seven and left the heavy pitching to sophomore reliever Kevin Elder on Saturday as Westminster Christian captured its first state championship in any sport with a 15-5, six-inning run-rule victory over Goreville in the 1A final at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

Perez (9-0), who pitched three innings with his left hand and 1/3 of an inning right-handed Friday in a semifinal, and Elder (12-4) split pitching duties during games all season. They combined on a no-hitter Tuesday in a supersectional.

Player of the game: Ryan Perez, Westminster Christian, 3-for-3, 2 HR, 7 RBIs.

Read more

Westminster Christian pitcher Ryan Perez uses both hands to knock out Lebanon

June 04, 2010|By Mike Helfgot | Special to the Chicago Tribune

Ryan Perez pitched left-handed and right-handed and played third base and shortstop — all before pitching two consecutive innings that were separated by nearly two hours.

Meet Ryan Perez - Westminster Christian Warriors Baseball

The rarest of talents recently attended a Prep Baseball Report Underclassmen Showcase, Meet Ryan Perez, a 5-foot-11, 150-pound freshman from Westminster Christian, a Class 1A parochial school in Elgin. Perez will never be forgotten at the PBR headquarters after he brought two mitts to the mound and proceeded to throw freshman cheddar with either arm.
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What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting. The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches, solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule 1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ...

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Switch Pitching 101

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