As a Texas native, Andrew Ramos is already pretty familiar with the landscape of the Lone Star State. But as a temporary resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and a member of the Gumbeaux Gators baseball team, Ramos is getting a good look at it. So are his family members.
"They came and watched me play in Bryan, they came and watched me play in Victoria and once in Lake Charles," Ramos said.
A native of Deer Park, Texas, and now a freshman at San Jacinto College, Ramos is learning first-hand what a grind the Texas Collegiate League summer baseball schedule can be. But, it's all good -- thanks to one of his coaches who got him connected to the Gators.
In his first summer as a Gumbeaux Gator, Ramos is mostly playing shortstop, but he fills in at second and third as needed. He is hitting .259 with 10 RBIs, two home runs, three triples, 15 runs scored and four stolen bases.
"It's been going great," said Ramos, a native of Deer Park, Texas. "I've built a lot of connections. I've made a lot of new friends and met a lot of new people. I've been playing really good.. I've been playing really good defense and I feel like the best part of my game is how I can handle the ball defensively and I've been swinging it well, swinging it for some power. So, I feel like it's been going good."
Last week he was named Gators Player of the Game in a 16-0 win over the San Antonio River Monsters, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI.
"It was good but, it was a big team win," Ramos said. "My teammates were able to get on base and everybody was just doing their job and everybody had a good day."
"Ramos has been one of our best defenders and season," Gators coach James Landreneau said. "And recently, his offensive play has been equal. I'm excited for him to see the fruits of his labor. He went through a patch where all hard contact was right at people and recently the ball has found open field. Andrew never stops. He is always working on his craft so I'm not surprised by his recent success."
The Gators are in the thick of a hunt for a spot in the playoffs later this month, currently standing 4 1/2 games out of first place with a record of 15-10. The Victoria Generals are atop the standings at 21-9.
"I think our team is really good at handling adversity," he said. "A bunch of our wins have been come-from-behind wins. In the back half, I think we've done a really good job."
For Ramos, the goal this summer was to get better as a player.
"My goal was just to clean up all the areas of the game I felt like I had struggled with or just needed to be better at," he said. "I feel like, so far, I have been able to do that. I've been drawing more walks than I do. I felt like that's a thing that I wanted to work on. I have more walks than strike outs so I feel like I've been doing my part on that."
Ramos said he's learning to be more selective with his swings as a hitter.
"Being able to understand that I have three strikes to play with," he said. "So, if the first pitch is a strike, but it's not my strike, I'm OK with taking it."
The summer playing with wooden bats should only help him with his game as well.
"It helps a lot of people see how you really hit the ball," Ramos said. "With the metal bat in college, it's more forgiving. You can have sometimes bad swing or be a little too in and still get a good swing, so I feel like with the wooden bat, you have to be a little more true to the barrel. Doing it all season will help you become a better baseball player."
By Lori Lyons