Owensboro’s Cayden Ray has signed with Valparaiso University to continue his baseball and academic career. While his senior year on the gridiron is now over, his final high school season on the diamond has yet to begin.
Ray knew as soon as his visit to Valparaiso’s campus ended that was his future home.
“They just showed a lot of support,” Ray said. “They want me as a pitcher, but even when I was just hitting or playing in the outfield, they decided to show up. From the get-go, it felt like family. They were also the first to reach out. Schools started coming along after that, but I didn’t want to go on any other visits. I felt like it was the right place from the second I showed up there.”
A key contributor to the Red Devils’ football team, Ray said he contemplated pursuing a collegiate career in pads, but at the end of the day his biggest love has always been baseball.
His recruitment process started slowly, leading Ray to become more active in the weight room and working on his pitching mechanics. After making some tweaks with his coaches, he started to see a rise in his velocity. At the same time, Owensboro’s coaching staff started sending out his highlights to colleges to get his name out there.
Early in the process, Ray’s desire to play collegiately grew when he started seeing his teammates hear back from schools.
“This was always the dream to play college ball, but recruitment was really slow. I started seeing a lot of my buddies get offers and I was like man I wish that was me,” he said. “But now that it’s happened, it’s a dream come true. I didn’t let it bother me and I kept my head down and continued working on my craft. I’m hoping to make a statement, put my name out there, and make an impression.”
