Mason Ronan played in parts of three college baseball seasons, but his best one yet came in year number four of college baseball. The Ashville, Pennsylvania native and Penn Cambria High School graduate started his college career at the University of Pittsburgh before heading to the College of Central Florida to play junior college ball over the last two seasons.
(Photos courtesy of the State College Spikes)
In high school, Ronan was a two-sport athlete in baseball and basketball, but there was no question baseball was going to be his ticket. For a little less than a decade, Ronan played on the travel circuit for U.S. Elite, helping him to get the exposure he needed to take his talents to the college level. He was so dominant in high school that scouts began to show up to his games across small town, central Pennsylvania towns. With a 0.65 ERA and 84 strikeouts as a high school senior, he certainly made his mark as one of the top high school pitchers in the nation in 2018.
Eventually, Ronan became a pick of the Boston Red Sox in round 29 of the Major League Baseball Amateur draft out of high school, but elected to go to college. Now, Ronan finds himself in similar territory, anticipating hearing his name called in this year’s draft.
His college career started slow and had challenges along the way, but the year 2022 has proved to be the one he needed. After a shortened season in 2020 because of the pandemic and missing most of the 2021 season because of Tommy John surgery, Ronan was determined to get back and prove he still had a lot left in the tank.
He did just that with a 5-1 record and 68 punchouts across 45.1 innings and 15 appearances. He helped the College of Central Florida Patriots win 47 games, the FCSAA/NJCAA South Atlantic District Tournament, and make an appearance in the Junior College World Series. He also finished his Associate of Arts degree and started another degree in agricultural business.
Since, he’s been assigned to the State College Spikes in the Major League Baseball Draft League to play for the “hometown team” growing up less than an hour away from State College, he’s now rocking the Spikes jersey while leading up to a very possible next chapter in the coming days as a two-time draft choice. Even if not selected, Ronan still has college eligibility remaining, a perfect scenario to be in the for hard throwing southpaw.
While this is much of Ronan’s story, he explains in more detail in a recent conversation we had. Thank you for coming on the show, Mason! Best of luck in what lies ahead in your baseball career ⚾️
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