27 up, 27 down: Maryland's Ryan Ramsey tosses perfecto

April 30th, 2022
Twitter/@TerpsBaseball

University of Maryland pitcher Ryan Ramsey took the mound with a 13-0 lead in the ninth inning Friday on the precipice of history. Only 33 pitchers had thrown a perfect game in NCAA history before Friday’s matchup between Maryland and Northwestern at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium in College Park.

With 26 batters down and one to go, Ramsey got Northwestern’s Tony Livermore to ground out sharply to third baseman Nick Lorusso, who narrowly threw out Livermore for the 27th and final out. For the first time since Dick Reitz in 1959, a Maryland baseball pitcher was perfect. Ramsey threw his arms into the air as he embraced catcher Luke Shliger while teammates rushed out of the third-base dugout to congratulate their star hurler. Ramsey struck out 10 and threw 118 pitches -- 27 up, 27 down.

Ramsey, a former Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, was appearing in his first Friday start for the Terrapins -- a spot typically given to the staff ace. The 21-year-old left-hander was drafted out of high school in the 36th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Guardians before opting to attend Maryland. Ramsey is expected to once again garner interest from Major League teams in this summer's Draft.

This year is the Montvale, New Jersey, native’s first year as a full-time starting pitcher. Ramsey has thrived in the role, compiling 69 strikeouts over 70 2/3 innings to go with a 2.42 ERA and a 10-1 record.

Ramsey’s perfecto comes amid a magical season for the Terrapins. Friday’s win was their 34th of the season, which is the second-most in school history behind their 36-win season in 2015.