Looking Back and Ahead

MLB draftee Ryan Sloan has fun during historic senior season at York

By Jeff Vorva

Ryan Sloan has a lot to look forward to.

The York graduate was selected in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft –55th overall – on July 14 by Seattle and a few weeks later signed a deal with a $3 million signing bonus.

The 6-foot-4 pitcher will spend some time developing and playing some minor league baseball while hoping his powerful right arm that can hit high 90 mph ranges can take him into the major leagues with the Mariners.
But before looking too far ahead, Sloan will lock up some nice memories of his senior season at York High School, in which the Dukes finished fourth in the Illinois High School Association Class 4A tournament for the second year in a row. They finished with 31 wins, which was the second most for a season in school history behind the 1993 Class AA state championship team that won 32.

He also won the Illinois Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year Award.

“It’s definitely a time I’m going to remember,” Sloan said of his senior season. “I’m excited to move on to the next chapter. I’ve matured a lot over the last four years, and wherever I go, it will be a great path, no matter where it takes me. This season was probably my most fun season in the four years I was here. We had a good group of guys, and the chemistry came together. But at the end of the day, with the baseball gods, it was not our time (to win a state championship).”

Whenever he took the hill, Sloan received plenty of attention from major league scouts and their radar guns.
“It was definitely surreal,” Sloan said. “Just the fact that you have a lot of MLB personnel coming out to watch you – specifically you – is something that’s really cool to see. But you just have to take it for what it is. I’m still going to go out and throw. I’m going to go pitch and do my thing. My mindset all year was to focus on baseball, and everything else will take care of itself.”

Sloan is just the fourth player in school history to go from high school to the pros. His father, David Sloan, was drafted in 1994, Paul Suchow was drafted in 1965, and Kevin Sullivan got the call in 2006.

The draft capped a big year for the Dukes as they racked up win after win. In the postseason, they had some nailbiters by opening the postseason with a 2-1 win over Wheaton North and followed it up with a 6-4 triumph over St. Charles East. Winning a sectional title was no picnic either, as they squeaked by St. Charles North, 2-0, in the championship game.

Heading into the state semifinals, Sloan was 2-2 with an 0.18 ERA with four walks and 82 strikeouts in 40 innings. Noah Owens was 8-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 53 innings. Chris Danko was 6-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 47 innings.

The Dukes had some strong hitting as well. Josh Fleming hit .352 with a team-high four homers and tied with Chris Danko for the lead with 28 RBI. Drew Gami led the team with 30 runs. Owen Chael came up with 27 RBIs. Noah Jones had 11 doubles.

Coach Dave Kalal is proud of the way his teams have been able to get red hot in the playoffs in the past three years.

“We were the 10th seed in 2022 and made a nice run, and we were a pitch away from being (in the state semifinals),” he said. “That could have been three consecutive years. And that game still sits in my craw. I’ll never get over that game. But it’s just been unbelievable. It really has.

Last year, we went into the playoffs 20-15 and a six seed, and we got to the Final Four. This year, we were a three-seed and got to the Final Four again. Some coaches go through their whole careers trying to do it one time. To be able to do it in consecutive years and to be in the Elite Eight three consecutive years has been phenomenal.”