Ryan Church, the first baseman for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers has had quite the collegiate journey playing at two different schools and in three different conferences, but one thing has remained consistent throughout, and that’s his ability to hit a baseball.
He started his career at Palm Beach State where he hit .326 as a freshman and belted 11 home runs with 56 RBI. The next season he hit .315 with 4 home runs and 40 RBI while leading Palm Beach State to the NJCAA Division I Championship Game.
Church then decided to take his talents to Western Kentucky where as a junior he hit .306, hit 7 home runs and drove in 38. Through 13 games in 2015 he leads the team in RBI with 15, and is supporting a .273 average.
Now Church faces a new challenge as he and Western Kentucky join Conference USA this season. I was fortunate enough to talk to the senior to get his thoughts on how he’s handled all these changes and his outlook on the future.
Being from Florida, what drew you to wanting to play for Western Kentucky? What’s your favorite part of being a Hilltopper?
I kind of just wanted to get away. I played in the Junior College World Series and they (Western Kentucky) saw me there. They brought me up to their campus and I fell in the love with the place and the coaching staff. I love how much the community is involved in college sports. Where I’m from there are a lot of pro teams that get the attention, but the people here really get into their college sports teams.
If you weren’t playing baseball, what would you be doing career-wise?
I would be doing what I hope to do whenever my baseball career is over, I’m going to go to Canada and be a police officer. My dad’s dream was to become one and was never able to fulfill that dream, so that’s why I want to be a cop.
Who are some of the biggest influences in your life? How have they helped you progress as a baseball player?
My dad was always mine and my brother’s coach growing up so he obviously had an influence on me as a player, but I would say my brother has had the biggest impact on me. He played at Florida Atlantic and then was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays. I would say both on and off the field he has had the biggest influence on me. I don’t know what I would be doing without him.
Who are some current or former MLB players (if any) that you try and model you’re game after? Why?
Maybe Mark Teixeira because he takes pride in his defensive abilities and he also has a similar approach at the plate as me, even though he’s a switch hitter and I’m not, I think we have a similar plan at the plate.
You’re basically playing in your third different conference in three seasons? How have you adjusted to all these changes, and what are you looking forward to the most about joining CUSA this year?
It’s actually been pretty weird. There are some advantages and disadvantages that come along with playing in different conferences as obviously they know nothing about me, but on the flip side I also know nothing about them. Plus I feel like the competition in each conference has gotten better every year. The really cool thing is that I’ve gotten to play against so many different players and in so many different ballparks. One day I can tell maybe my kids and grandkids about all of the different parks I’ve played in.
What is your favorite baseball memory from your collegiate career?
Well personally there was a double-header against Evansville this year were I had a pretty good day (in the DH he was 8-10 with a home run, 5 runs scored, 7 RBI and a walk) and hit for the cycle combined in the two games, but we lost so I can’t really say it was a the best memory.
I would probably say my best collegiate memory so far was going to the Junior College World Series and playing in the championship game in front of 14,000 fans, and I did pretty well. That’s a memory I wouldn’t give up for anything in the world.
Going into your senior year, what has been your mindset in preparing for the season and through the early part of the season?
Just to bring back winning baseball to WKU. I want to help take us back to the postseason and to go as deep in the postseason as possible. I want to drive in and score as many runs as possible to help the team win.
What are some areas you’re looking to improve on that will hopefully help your chances of being drafted in 2015?
Of course there are always things that we can improve on, but I’ve been focusing on improving speed-wise and working on not worrying about the previous pitch but focusing on the next one – overcoming the mental aspect of the game.
Is being a draft a goal of yours right now, is it something you’re focused on?
I would say yeah, it’s a goal of mine but it’s not something I’m currently focusing on. My goal right now is to help WKU win as many games as possible. I’m not worrying about the outcome of myself right now, I’m just focused on helping the team win any way I can. However, once the season is over I don’t want my baseball career to end. I’d love to keep on playing at the major league level.
What kind of legacy do you hope to leave at WKU? What do you want to be remembered for the most?
I would like to have a legacy as a team. Right now players walk around the locker room talking about that ’08-’09 team or other good teams of the past and I’d love it if from five years from now they were wanting to be like that ’14-’15 team. I want to be remembered as a guy that was fun to watch. Someone who people came to the ballpark to watch not knowing what he was going to do that day. Whether he was going to get a double or head-butt someone coming into the dugout. I want to be someone that people enjoy watching and that’s something I take pride in.
Photos courtesy of Western Kentucky Media Relations
