The 2021 season will always be fondly remembered for Derry Area baseball. The Trojans enjoyed the most successful season in a generation, winning the section title and notching a playoff victory. One of the key members of that squad, Ryan Bushey, is now a crucial component for the Mount Aloysius baseball team. Bushey is under the microscope in this installment of the Westmoreland Alum Q&A.

Bushey earned playing time with Derry Area in his freshman season in 2018, as he appeared in 10 games, compiling a batting average of .333 with eight runs scored, a pair of RBIs, and six stolen bases. The Trojans went 6-13 overall, including just 3-11 in section play, failing to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

The following season, Bushey played in 18 contests, batting .242 with a dozen runs, nine RBIs, and three steals. That year, DA went 7-11, with a 4-8 section mark, thus missing the postseason.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 season because of COVID, Bushey and the Trojans enjoyed a special campaign in 2021. In 16 contests, Bushey batted .391 with 22 runs scored, seven RBIs, and 16 steals. He also saw time on the mound, compiling a record of 2-1 with an ERA of 3.39 and 15 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Derry Area went 12-5 overall, including 8-2 in the section, capturing the first section title since 1992. In the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs, the Trojans defeated New Brighton 10-0 before falling to McGuffey in the quarterfinals.

Following his graduation, Bushey matriculated to Mount Aloysius College, joining the Mounties baseball team for the 2022 season. The infielder played in 16 games as a freshman, including six starts. In those contests, he amassed a .269 average with six runs and three RBIs. That season, Mount Aloysius went 27-15 overall, including 11-5 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC). In the conference tournament, the Mounties bested Alfred State, but fell to Penn State Behrend. From there, Mount Aloysius notched another win against Alfred State, and won twice in a row against Behrend to capture the AMCC Championship. Thus, the Mounties qualified for the NCAA Division III Regional, where they fell to Christopher Newport and Kalamazoo to conclude the season.

Last year, Bushey played in nine contests, with six starts. He batted .296 with five runs and four RBIs. Collectively, Mount Aloysius went 17-20, including 8-6 in the AMCC. In the AMCC Tournament, the Mounties lost the best-of-three series 2-1 to Penn State Altoona.

So far this season, Bushey has started all 23 games, batting .337 with 21 runs, 14 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. Mount Aloysius has achieved a mark of 15-8, including 5-1 in conference play.

Ryan set aside time from his schedule to respond to questions about his drastic offensive improvement this season, his brief stint on the Mount Aloysius basketball team, and which pitcher he’d choose to face for an at-bat.

Q: Your offensive numbers have improved drastically this season. What are the biggest factors in that success?

A: The confidence my teammates have given me this season and the confidence I have in myself from the start of the season has been a huge contributor. The work I put in during the offseason and in the winter has really led me to trusting the work I put in.

Q: What is an underrated aspect of your play?

A: I had to ask some of my teammates to help with this answer, but my determination to win and my range in the infield to make plays is an underrated part of my game.

Q: What were the biggest adjustments from high school baseball to college?

A: High school to college was a big adjustment, for sure. Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t play every game, and realizing I have to constantly put in hard work and learn from the guys in front of me was definitely the biggest adjustment.

Q: What individual and team goals did you establish this season?

A: Individually, I set the goal to make First-Team All-Conference and establish myself as one of the leaders on our team and a guy my teammates can look up to and learn from. Team wise, we got a feeling of what it’s like to win a conference championship, as we won it my freshman year and made it to the NCAA Regional. That was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced, and our team has made it our goal to get back to that. I’m super proud of our guys so far, and we have plenty of more work to do.

Q: Aside from your home field, what has been your favorite college baseball venue?

A: Every year, we play at Shenandoah, who was ranked No. 1 in the country when we played them, but their field and complex is one of the nicest I’ve ever played on, so I’d have to say them.

Q: You briefly joined the Mounties men's basketball team during a roster shortage a few seasons ago. What was enjoyable about that experience?

A: Joining the basketball team for a week was a really fun experience. The guys on the team and Coach Marcus Thomas were all very supportive, along with my teammates on the baseball team. I’ve always been a gym rat when it comes to basketball and have loved the game since I was about 4 or 5, so being able to fulfill a childhood dream of playing college basketball, even though it was for a week, was awesome.

Q: What led to your decision to attend Mount Aloysius?

A: The coaching staff. When I was getting recruited and went on my two visits, Coach Kime and Coach Gully really made me feel wanted and preached to me that the main goal was to help me become a better person throughout my time at The Mount.

Q: What is your major, and ideal future profession?

A: My major is business administration with a specialization in sports management. My future goal would be to become an athletic director at the collegiate level or pursue a coaching career.

Q: What has been your most challenging college course?

A: Statistics has probably been my most challenging course. I’ve never really been a huge math guy, so trying to figure all different types of equations was definitely hard.

Q: You played under head coach John Flickinger at Derry Area. What made him special as a coach?

A: Coach Flick has had a huge impact on me, not only as a baseball player, but as a person. I’ve known Coach Flick since I was a little kid from being around the team growing up with my mom being a teacher in the school district, so being able to have a relationship with him early and having it continue to grow has been a blessing. He really put the faith in me that I can be a better version of myself than I ever thought, and I’m very thankful for our relationship.

Q: What was your fondest high school memory?

A: I was very blessed to be surrounded by great people in high school and have some amazing friends and teammates who will last a lifetime, but probably winning the section championship my senior year in baseball and winning the basketball program’s first-ever playoff game my senior year, as well, would have to be my favorite memories.

Q: If you could face one pitcher, past or present, for an at-bat, who would you choose? What would be the outcome?

A: If I could face any pitcher, it would probably have to be Aroldis Chapman. I know I wouldn’t even come close to touching the ball, but being able to see 100+ MPH would be cool.

Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A: One meal I would eat for the rest of my life would probably have to be Mom’s buffalo chicken pasta.

Q: If you woke up tomorrow with $1 million, what is the first thing you'd do?

A: If I were to wake up with $1 million tomorrow morning, I would probably buy a golf course and run the golf course or buy my parents a house.