Zac Ryan inks with Ga. Tech as signing period concludes

MERRILLVILLE | Zac Ryan said that the Georgia Tech baseball coaches have been understanding for the past week.

They've still been on his phone.

The signing period for Division I baseball letters of intent to land in the athletic offices at universities around the country began on Nov. 14 and ends Wednesday.

Ryan gave his commitment to the Yellow Jackets in February, before the start of his junior baseball season at Andrean. He signed with Georgia Tech on Tuesday, a day before the signing period closed until April.

Between February and Tuesday, the calls and letters from other Division I coaches around the country didn't slow down. He said he was surprised that the contact increased.

"I expected once I committed that other schools would stop recruiting, a little," Ryan said, "but they never really did."

Ryan said that he signed his letter on Tuesday instead of last week because his parents were adjusting their work schedules to attend the signing at school.

He also credits the Georgia Tech coaches with their patience.

"They still called," he said. "They told me to pick Georgia Tech only if that's where I felt the most comfortable."

Ryan had a 9-1 record in his junior season at Andrean with a 1.49 ERA and six shutouts. He also added a .427 batting average with 26 RBIs. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech won the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference title, the Yellow Jackets' eighth conference championship.

In addition to Division I coaches on his phone, Ryan also struggled with the option of June's MLB Entry Draft. The pitcher is eligible in 2013, but said he's picking a degree in biomedical engineering over early entry into professional baseball.

"I really wanted to go to college more than anything," Ryan said. "I've gotten a lot of questionnaires (from MLB scouts), but an education right now is more important to me.

"It's hard because I've already gotten a lot of (pro) interest through my travel baseball. It's a really tough decision, but I think it would be more of a benefit to me in the future if I went the college route first."