After the 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid-19, the Derry Area baseball team got off to a slow start last spring, dropping their first two games of the season. Ryan Hood knew his team had to do things differently.

“I think those first two games that we lost, we were still sort of adjusting, getting back to it," Hood explained. We didn’t have that many preseason opportunities to play games. Those first two games against Valley we had to settle back in and realize what the season was going to be about."

“I think those two games were what we needed to get to where we needed to be,” he added.

The Trojans responded by winning 11 of their next 13 games en route to winning their first section title since 1992. Over that 13 game span, DA averaged eight runs per game, while holding opponents to a mere two runs per contest. Derry also won its first playoff game in 17 years, defeating New Brighton 10-0 in the first round of the WPIAL 3A playoffs.

“The guys we had on that team were some of the greatest dudes I’ve ever played baseball with. We’ve played together since we were probably 8 or 9 years old, we had all been preparing for that. We lost our first two games, then once we got into it everything clicked. There wasn’t anything that we couldn’t do."

The adversity Ryan Hood has faced over the last year doesn’t compare to what he’s had to go through physically. Hood tore his labrum on his right side, and after a yearlong recovery process he was finally able to make it back on to the diamond.

“It was 623 games between starts for me when I got by shoulder fixed. It took a lot of rehab, a lot of therapy,” said Hood. “I played first base at the start of the season, which kind of helped me get back into it. Since I hadn’t pitched, I wasn’t really in the baseball mindset yet. Once I got to first base it got me back into things and once I started pitching I felt a lot better.”

Through injuries, uncertainty and a pandemic, Hood has been able to prevail through it all, and recently made a commitment to continue his baseball career at Gannon University. Hood credited the coaching staff at Gannon for being a big driving force behind his decision to continue his baseball career as a Golden Knight.

Hood is undecided on what he will be majoring in at Gannon. He will play for former Seton Hill assistant and Chatham head coach D.J. Cannon who was hired in August.

“Whenever I went up to visit Gannon and I got to look around, I could tell it was a place I wanted to be," Hood detailed. “I really liked the campus. I clicked with the coaches, all of the coaches I met were really nice guys and I’m excited to play for them. It had everything I wanted.”

Westmoreland Recruiting News

• Belle Vernon's Jack Bryer has committed to Case Western University where he will play football. The senior plays fullback and linebacker for the Leopards.
• A pair of Yough girls soccer players have made their commitments. Junior forward McKenzie Pritts will play at Robert Morris while Marin Sleith has committed to Edinboro.