Andrean’s Ryan makes dad proud

Updated: June 11, 2011 9:45PM

INDIANAPOLIS — Despite also being her father, Andrean coach Henry Ryan was surprised his catcher and daughter Kelly Ryan received the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award after Saturday’s 8-0 loss to Roncalli in the Class 3A state final.

Even her mother, Jill, was pleasantly surprised.

And, of course, Kelly had no idea she was even nominated by Andrean athletic director Tim Crnkovich and her principal, Father Paul Quanz.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” Kelly said. “Even though we lost, it’s nice to be recognized; I’m definitely honored.”

But her teammates were not the least bit shocked, especially fellow senior Meghan Bridgeman, who has been starting since her freshman year.

“I’m not surprised,” Bridgeman said. “She’s awesome and always has had a great mental attitude. She’s always kept the team up and been positive. She definitely deserves it.”

Kelly has also started since her freshman season, though a little bit longer than Bridgeman, who earned her starting spot in 2008 after a few junior varsity games. Ryan stepped right into the starting catcher spot from day one after 2007 Post-Tribune Player of the Year and catcher Christina Caldwell graduated.

Credit for Kelly earning the coveted award — which results in a $1,000 scholarship being given to Andrean from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance in her name — probably goes to Mom since Dad admits he’s a jock with slightly skewed priorities.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Kelly joked about her dad and coach.

You see, sometime in the near future — probably this week — Kelly and Henry will visit the campus of the University of Wisconsin, which is recruiting her heavily. Henry proudly told me the Badgers’ starting catcher is graduating and their coach thinks Kelly could start right away, like she did at Andrean.

Thing is, thanks to Kelly’s academic prowess — she finished with a grade point average of 4.44, ranked sixth in her class — she has earned a full academic scholarship to Indiana University and has been accepted into the Kelley School of Business. That’s a rare achievement for an incoming freshman.

“Usually the (Kelley) school doesn’t take kids until they’re sophomores,” Henry said, still sounding proud despite knowing she probably won’t play softball. “She has a direct admittance, and if she graduates, direct admittance into the Indiana law school.”

Henry is also the father of one of Andrean’s stud baseball pitchers, Zac Ryan, who is getting looks from big-time college programs after years of traveling across the country to play in AAU tournaments. Father and son were actually featured as part of a New York Times story in 2006 — when Zac was 12 years old — called “Baseball For Life” in which multiple parents and their 11 or 12-year-old baseball-playing sons were followed for an entire summer.

“Since Zac could walk and talk, his ambition has been to play professional ball,” Henry said in that 2006 story.

Henry admits he hasn’t changed much since, saying on multiple occasions he’s “a kid at heart.” He texted me last week after getting another phone call from a college interested in Zac, saying “you’re right, we’re crazy, but we love it.”

When told about Kelly agreeing that he’s a jock, he said, “I’m OK with that.”

Two years ago he told me about Kelly’s first thoughts of college and how he wanted her to go to a big-time school in the south where softball rules and exposure is plentiful. She, on the other hand, was looking at Ivy League schools.

“She’s more mature than me,” he said back then.

And Kelly’s still more mature than dad and most of her peers.

Of course he hoped she would consider trying to walk onto the IU softball team. But her maturity supercedes his jockness.

“She said she’s worried about the barrage of training for softball getting in the way of law school,” Henry said.

But don’t fret, Dad. There’s still a little jock in her, and little brother might want to be extra nice to her over the next few years since his future might be in her hands.

Her top choice for a future profession? Sports agent with Zac as a possible client. You know Henry would love it.

Then again, the future agent with an abundance of smarts took her dad’s “suggestion” and expanded it further.

“I was joking with her that she might want to hurry up in getting that law degree since Zac could get drafted in two years,” Henry said. “So she said, ‘Maybe I’ll just represent a whole organization, like the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.”’

Always a step or two ahead of the jock. But the proud dad is definitely OK with that.

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