Whether at Georgia Tech or in the pros, Riley Stanford just wants to play baseball
BUFORD, Ga. (BVM) — Any kid growing up who loves the game of baseball always has that one guy that they cannot get enough of. Most kids today would throw out answers like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Fernando Tatis. For Riley Stanford out of Buford High School in Georgia, that player is Nolan Ryan.
Despite being born 10 years after Ryan retired, he has always been infatuated with his talent ever since he began studying up on him.
“I was always one of those dudes that threw a little bit harder than everyone else, so I studied the dude that threw harder than everyone,” Stanford said. “How he threw that hard and what made him be that way. Of course a bunch of it is just his talent, but there’s got to be some pieces that they were like, ‘Okay, we did this to make me throw this hard.’”
Once Stanford found out some of those elements, he implemented it into his own game. And it worked.
Now a high school senior committed to play at Georgia Tech, Stanford is the No. 10 player in the state of Georgia. He can hit the upper 90s with his fastball when he is on the mound and he brings elite raw power at the plate as an outfielder. Standing at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Stanford is a strong candidate to be selected in this summer’s MLB Draft.
But for Stanford, this emergence was not sudden. This is something he has been working towards since the beginning.
His father, who played baseball at Georgia Southern, signed Riley up for travel ball by the time he was 10. Not too long after, Stanford experienced the joys of winning as his team won their first tournament during an event in Panama City, Florida.
He was hooked.
“The entire tournament was amazing,” Stanford said. “That’s when I was like, ‘This is something I can do for the rest of my life.’”
Now Stanford may get the opportunity to do just that.
Stanford received attention from Power 5 schools early on, but his recruiting experience was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that took place in the middle of his sophomore year. He was only able to take one official visit and that was to Georgia Tech. But that was all it took to fall in love with the school in downtown Atlanta.
I am extremely excited and proud to announce that I will be continuing my athletic and academic career at Georgia Tech. I would like to thank god, my family, coaches, and everyone that has helped me along my journey. Go Jackets!! @GTBaseball pic.twitter.com/liAmKpA8n8
— Riley Stanford (@rileystanford15) September 25, 2020
“I really love the coaches,” Stanford said. “I went there and it kind of just felt like home. It just felt right.”
Stanford was not the only member of the Buford Wolves that the Yellow Jackets had their eyes on, as he will be joined by current teammates Jackson Gaspard and Brent Baughcum.
“It’s nice to have the ability to be with your friends and to know kids that are going there,” Stanford said.
With Stanford’s prospect status, he has attended many showcases over the years, with his biggest highlight coming in the 2021 Perfect Game All American Classic at Petco Park in San Diego. He completed a save for the East team, closing out a combined no-hitter.
The East squad completes the no-hitter and wins the @PGAllAmerican Classic! pic.twitter.com/9q0vo3DH2V
— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) August 23, 2021
“A no-hitter in an all-star game is one of the cooler things I’ve done,” Stanford said. “I was like, ‘I have to get this out.’”
With his name having been buzzing on the prospect circuit for years, it is not a guarantee that he gets to the Georgia Tech campus. But no matter where Stanford winds up, he’s just looking forward to playing the game he loves.
“I try not to think about it,” Stanford said. “That’s for my parents, my agent and everyone else. I’m here to play baseball. It doesn’t matter to me if that’s at college or in MLB. I just want to play for as long as I can and do as best as I can.”
