After bouncing around, Ryan Eiermann dominating for Pistol Shrimp

Coming out of high school, Ryan Eiermann seemed destined for great success at the next level.

At Naperville Central, Eiermann was voted co-DuPage Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore.

Eiermann had two more dominant seasons with the RedHawks and signed with Texas Christian University.

However, Eiermann stumbled after arriving in Fort Worth and returned home after the first semester, never playing for the Horned Frogs.

“I don’t think I prepared for it as I should have,” Eiermann said. “I kind of got a rude awakening so I went home to rebuild my self esteem and myself and I got back on the baseball field after that.”

Eiermann was away from the game for two years.

“A lot of it was just self inflicted,” Eiermann said. “I was thinking short term instead of long term. It all caught up with me. I had to sit back for a second and realize what I did and just fix it. I talked to people. Talked to my mom and talked to my friends. There were a lot of people who were there to help me, so it made it a little bit easier. I got through it.”

Eiermann ended up at Culver-Stockton College for the 2020 season, but only made five starts before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Other than that, I haven’t played much college ball, sadly,” said Eiermann, who is committed to play at Kankakee Community College next season.

Despite the struggles and detours, Eiermann has finally found the post-high school success on the baseball field he’s been working toward.

Eiermann has been dominant as the ace of the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp as he leads the league in ERA at 1.50, wins with a 6-0 record and strikeouts with 82 in 48 innings. No. 2 on the strikeout list has 48 in 40 2/3 innings.

“It means a ton,” Eiermann said about being among the league leaders. “This league is a good league. You’re not facing anyone who can’t play baseball really well, so to be able to succeed like this is awesome.

“I put in a lot of work and I’m glad to see the hard work is paying off.”

Eiermann’s stellar season started in the opener when he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out 11 batters and walking two in a 6-0 win over the Normal CornBelters in Normal.

“Ryan has kind of bounced around a little bit,” said Illinois Valley pitching coach Mark Sheehan, who has worked with Eiermann since he was 12. “He was trying to figure himself out — who he is and what he wants to do. I’ve always told him, ‘You have what it takes kid, you just have to do the other things.’ There are so many other things — the academic side, the training side, the social life aspect and all that other stuff. It’s very satisfying to see him do so well.”

Although Eiermann doesn’t “have the highest spin rate or a 100 mph fastball,” he works fast “to have control of the game,” gets ahead in the count and uses strong command and movement to baffle hitters.

“It’s his competitive nature. He wants to strike everybody out,” Sheehan said about Eiermann’s ability to strike out so many hitters. “He’s so sound mechanically. He has a low arm slot. He has good movement on just about every pitch, so he’s hard to square up for a lot of hitters. He has a really long stride, so the hitter’s perception of his velocity is a little higher. The ball is kind of sneaky fast. He has a lot of intangibles it takes to be a good pitcher.”

While Eiermann is performing better than his previous two summers with the Shrimp, manager John Jakiemiec isn’t surprised.

“Clearly he’s playing better, but it’s not unexpected,” Jakiemiec said. “Going into the season, he was at the top of the list of pitchers we can count on giving us a good outing every time out. We expected him to be one of our better arms. It’s surprising to see how dominant he’s been against basically a Division I league.

“He’s a guy I’ve known for probably four years now. He’s always been that type of player, but this year is different in that everything is working. His confidence is where it should be. His command of pitches is second to none.”

With Eiermann’s performance this summer, Jakiemiec believes there’s a chance the 6-foot, 195-pound lefty — who throws a two-seam fastball in the 89-92 mph range, a curveball and a splitter and is working to master a changeup — doesn’t finish the season with the Shrimp as he could get selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, which started Sunday and ends Tuesday, or get signed as a free agent.

“The Prospect League is all about guys who aspire to play at the next level,” said Jakiemiec, whose 2019 Pistol Shrimp closer Finn Del Bonta-Smith is now at High-A in the Colorado Rockies organization. “It’d bring me nothing but great joy as a coach and a friend of Ryan than to see him taken away by a professional team giving him an opportunity.”

While Eiermann does have his eye on a professional career, his short-term goal is to break the Prospect League record of 108 strikeouts in a season set by Lafayette’s Brad Depperman in 2017.”

“Hopefully, one day I get to play pro ball,” Eiermann said. “That’s my main goal.”