General of the Week: Ryan Weston, ’17
Ryan Weston, ’17, from Rolling Hills Estates, Ca., has had a very successful season so far as the starting third baseman for the Washington and Lee men’s baseball team. He has hit four home runs during the season. He has a batting average of .340 and an on-base percentage of .407. On April 21, Weston hit a walk off single in the 11th inning of the first game of a double header against Roanoke College to give the Generals the win. In his career, Weston has played in 110 games for the Generals and recorded a career .313 batting average, .366 on-base percentage and 10 home runs. The Phi sat down with Weston to talk about this moment and how the team will prepare for the rest of the season.
Ryan Weston, ’17. Photo courtesy of W&L Sports Info.
May 19, 2017
Ring-Tum Phi: First off, congratulations on getting the win against Roanoke in such dramatic fashion. What did it feel like to give your team the win with a walk off single in the bottom of the 11th inning?
Ryan Weston: I honestly just felt relieved be- cause I had struck out three times before that. It felt great to finally get one and give my team the win.
Phi: What were the team’s emotions like after getting the win against Roanoke?
RW: We were really happy to end up on the winning side, but we also knew we had to focus on the next game if we wanted to avoid splitting the series with Roanoke.
Phi: What are some of the team’s goals mov- ing forward with the rest of the season?
RW: Our main goal is to close out the season strong, win the ODAC Championship and move on to focus, compete and win a National Championship.
Phi: What areas do you guys need to improve on as a team?
RW: We need our pitching to improve, specifically we need a third starter to emerge and a little more depth in the bullpen. We also could do better at the plate when we are at bat so we can score a few more runs every game.
Phi: What areas do you think you need to personally improve in?
RW: For myself, I need to focus on being more selective when I am at the plate and in what pitches I choose to take a swing at. I also should take more walks when they present themselves.
Phi: Can you give our readers an idea of what baseball practices are like and how much work you guys put in, week in and week out?
RW: We practice six times a week and only really have one off-day in order to follow NCAA regulations. Practice is 2-3 hours a day and most people spend at least half an hour to get in some early work before practice. We also lift twice a week so we can get stronger off the field.