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Ryan
Ketchner
Pitcher
Born deaf, Ryan Ketchner attended a preschool
Deaf program and graduated from John I.
Leonard High School in Greenacres, Florida,
where he excelled in baseball. The high-school
team, the Lancers, won two county championships,
and, in his junior year, Ketchner tossed
a no hitter. As he told sportswriter
Ken Mandel, whose exclusive writeup appears
in DEAF LIFE's August
issue, “When I was playing, nobody knew
I was deaf, so I finally felt normal. I
was more determined to show people I could
do anything despite my deafness. I wanted
to prove I could do anything they could
do even better.”
He postponed entering college, wanting to
renter the pro ranks right away, and was drafted
by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round. He called
it “one of the happiest moments of my life.” That
was a high point—and he soon reached a low point,
and saw for himself the “vicious, cut-throat” competition
among minor-leaguers.
.jpg) Curtis Pride understood what Ketchner was
going through. Pride had visited Ketchner
before he graduated from Leonard High,
and “taught me to believe in myself, to
work hard and do my best.” Ketchner did
indeed learn to believe in himself and
to not let anyone convince him he couldn’t
achieve his ambitions. His story is one
of sheer determination—and the refinement
of skill.
Mandel describes how Ketchner relates to
his teammates, his distinctive sense of humor,
and how he met his wife, Tana (Stavinoha). His
nickname is ”Eagle Eye.” He’s still something of
“the class clown.”
Not surprisingly, Ketchner has himself become
an inspiration and mentor to Deaf kids—which he
appreciates and which helps inspire him in turn.
“I want to be living proof that these kids can
do anything that they want to. I want them to believe
in themselves.”
Some of the nation’s best baseball is played
on the Triiple-A level. All Triple-A players eagerly
await the prospect of being “called up” to a major-league
team. When and if that happens with Ketchner, there
will be widespread rejoicing—and not just in the
Deaf community either. |
