Hall graduate Ty Rybarczyk excels in Northwoods League

During the summer, Hall graduate Ty Rybarczyk said he has “really worked on finding myself again.”

He said he’s done that pitching for the Rockford Rivets in the Northwoods League.

Rybarczyk, who will be a senior at the University of Illinois in the fall, has been one of the top pitchers in the Northwoods League, which had 93 former players selected in the 2022 MLB draft.

Rybarczyk is 6-1 with a 1.60 ERA – which ranks second in the league – while striking out 44 batters to 12 walks in 50 2/3 innings.

“Landing all three of my pitches for a strike has been huge this summer, and it has really helped me keep the hitters off balance,” Rybarczyk said.

For his performance this summer, Rybarczyk was selected to the Northwoods League All-Star Game.

Rybarczyk pitched for the Great Lakes team, which lost, 4-2, to the Great Plains team at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

The former Hall standout got out both batters he faced, striking out one.

“It is an honor to be selected to be in the All-Star Game,” Rybarczyk said. “It was something I set out to do at the beginning of the summer. Playing in the Northwoods has been a lot of fun, and I’m just happy to be part of the game.”

Rybarczyk and the Rivets finish the season Aug. 13.

“For the rest of the summer, I plan on finishing my last [few] starts strong and showing up healthy to U of I in the fall,” Rybarczyk said.

During the 2022 season, Rybarczyk appeared in 22 games for the Fighting Illini, making two starts.

He went 4-1 with a 5.30 ERA and three saves while striking out 28 batters and walking 16 in 37 1/3 innings.

“My success this summer has put me in a good position going forward and has aligned me more with the goals that I have for myself in the future,” Rybarczyk said.