Name: Ryan Kettman

School: Wilmington

Sport: Baseball

Year: Senior

Why he was selected: After falling to Illinois Central Eight Conference rival Coal City twice during the regular season, Kettman and the Wildcats got their revenge with their 9-0 win over the Coalers in the Class 2A Seneca Regional championship on May 30. Kettman allowed two hits, a pair of walks, and struck out seven in his shutout. Kettman was also 3 for 7 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs in the regional round.

And as the Wildcats reached their third straight sectional title game last week, Kettman played a huge part, going 2 for 2 with a home run, two walks and two runs in last Wednesday’s 6-2 semifinal win over Manteno.

Kettman, a four-year starter, will continue his baseball career at Augustana College in Rock Island. He also was a member of two state championship football teams with the Wildcats, as well as a starting forward for the boys basketball team that won its first regional since 1998 and 22 wins, a total the program hadn’t reached since 1957-58.

Now that your high school athletic career is over, have you been able to start appreciating the tremendous success you and your classmates had together?

I’ve always appreciated the success that me and my teammates have had together. Being able to play with this group and the past groups was really special to me, and I would not have wanted to end it with anyone else.

In a day in age where almost every high school athlete is pressured to specialize in one, maybe two sports, why and how are you and your classmates able to excel in multiple sports?

We are able to excel so well in sports because of all the hard work done outside of practices and the hard work done in the classroom. It’s also a bond thing that we have. We’ve known each other for so long, and just having that makes us better as a whole.

What’s the biggest thing you learned or worked on in one specific sport that has translated most to your other sports?

I would say in baseball, I was able to hit when I needed to and was always able to call (Kyle) Farrell when I needed someone to throw to me. Working with all of my buddies and coaches has made me a much better athlete and person.

After experiencing four years of high school athletics, what’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self when you first got to high school?

One piece of advice I would give my younger self is to get in the gym more and find a grind in the weight room so I could be a little stronger. Also, keep pushing your teammates even when they are down and give them that spark back.

You are going to play one last high school football game when you participate in the Illinois High School Shrine Game on June 20. What is the part about playing football that you will miss the most?

The part of football I will miss the most is the culture that was built. I’ve had a blast playing with my buddies my whole life, and winning state the last year made it really special. There’s some guys that I’m never going to get to play with again, and it eats at me every day.

You recently announced your commitment to play baseball at Augustana. How difficult of a decision was it for you to decide which sport to pursue in college, and what has you most excited for your time as a Viking?

At first, it was extremely difficult, but once I came back to the realization that baseball is always what I’ve wanted to do, starting from when I was a little kid, I knew that was where I belonged. Yes, I will miss playing football, but in the end, baseball is where my heart is, and I wouldn’t want to play anything else at the next level.