Tioga right hander set to compete amongst top baseball seniors at PBR Future Games
by Marshall Loeffler
The Prep Baseball Report Future Games get started in Georgia this week, and the Senior portion of the prestigious scouting showcase will feature Ryan Crooks, a right hander from Tioga High School that made a 12 month commitment to a breakout junior year and has seen noticeable growth in both physical ability and mental maturity since the beginning of his varsity career.
“I was always tall, I always had a bigger frame. I just needed to fill it out a little bit,” said Crooks. “Coach Knuckols came on board and we’ve all gotten stronger. I was probably 180 pounds when he got here, now I’m up to 215. As we’ve gotten stronger, that’s when I’ve started to see the velocity tick up.”
That velocity hit a personal best in the high 80’s in a early season non-district matchup with ASH, where Ryan and the Indians went over the bridge and got a big win over the Trojans behind a gem from their junior workhorse. It was a game that Ryan began planning for 6 months in advance with his coaches, and that start seemed to be a turning point for Crooks, who went on to several more quality outings in District 2-4A, Division I Select, and the LBCA All State Games, where the righty continued to answer the bell in any environment against any type of batter. As the year went on, he was mixing that fastball with continually improving off speed pitches and proving that he was going to be ready to perform each and every time.
Tioga’s head coach Colton Knuckols said that “Ryan has committed himself like no one I’ve ever coached. He is receiving attention and he deserves all of it, but he hasn’t forgotten the things that are going to take him farther. He does great work with Coach Halle and trains with Coach Jesse Stallings as well; last week, I caught him at the field stretching by himself for a bullpen session the next day. He prepares himself unlike anybody else.”
With the momentum that Crooks built during that junior season and consistent innings the following summer, Prep Baseball Louisiana was able to see Ryan in action at the Louisiana State Games, and that resulted in Ryan getting the invite to the Future Games, where several hundred scouts will see top 2027 baseball players who have yet to commit to collegiate baseball programs. It is an important a honor and opportunity for one of Cenla’s best pitchers to show everyone else what those close to Ryan Crooks have seen this year.
“I’ve been able to prove to myself what I can do, and I do think that that work I’ve been doing is working,” Crooks said. “I’ve been sticking to what coaches have told me, but you really to have to actually stick to it. I’ve been adding strength, adding power with my fastball, and my other pitches have really come together well. We feel great that the things we are working towards will come. It’s just been important to stick to the approach.”
