By It’s rare when talent can sustain high expectations and live up to the hype, but with Luis Ramirez, this isn’t anything new.
Growing up, he had aspirations to play football with his friends, until he turned 11-years-old, that’s when his father introduced him to the game of baseball.
From there, Ramirez’s dad showed Luis everything he knew about baseball until there was a day when his dad had nothing else to show him, as Luis caught on to the game very quickly at a young age.
He then went on to attend Bishop Mora Salesian High School, a private school in Los Angeles where he would be molded by some of the best coaches in the country including a pitching coach amongst others in travel ball which would help him shape his craft.
During his time there he would become a four-year varsity player, where he threw 152 innings and struck out 186 while setting a 3.16 ERA. On the offensive side, Luis had an average of .352 in his senior year.
In 2017 and 2018, Ramirez would compete in the WWBA World Championship with the Blackhawks travel ball team. Ramirez would find himself playing at a very high competitive level as he played in the 17U division.
The next step for him was to choose where he could grow as a player and hone his craft to take him to the next level. He stated that there were a lot of schools interested in him but due to the strong ties he has with his family, he couldn’t leave somewhere too far so he looked locally, and Long Beach State was knocking on the door.
Ramirez went on to say that LBSU was just the top-level school he was looking to play for.
“It was local and my family was about 20 minutes away. My first-year I’d stay in Commerce and would commute,” said Ramirez.
Luis Ramirez in the midst of releasing a pitch after winding up. Photo credit: John Fajardo/ LBSU athletics
Working out and finding a routine is something Ramirez said was key for him as he has developed into the star he is today. To the youth who are looking to hone their skills, he said to find that routine as soon as you can and stick with it.
Ramirez said LBSU head coach Eric Valenzuela played a big part in his development by introducing him to a throwing program that made him feel more comfortable and helped him strengthen his body and become more agile.
His routine paired with the mentality of trying to find an area that you can improve in every day and get stronger is what helped him get this far and what he’ll keep doing to make it to the next level.
Coach Valenzuela also had no shortage of praise for his work ethic and believes with the culture they have brought here to Dirtbag baseball it’ll push him to new limits
“What separates him from others is his ability alone, he has a bunch of different pitches, his velocity, his body, and his arm. All of that has major league type of talent, yet he’s still growing, still not even scratching the surface for how good he can be,” Valenzuela said as he praised Luis’s ability and athleticism. “His peak is still a good amount away. He’s gotten better every year that he’s been here and will continue to grow as he works with the program.”
Ramirez’s catcher Connor Burns loves playing with him as he described the two’s relationship being one of the most important factors of the team’s success.
“The most important is to develop relationships with pitchers. It’s different at this level, you don’t have coaches telling you what to do because you don’t have the time. You already have to be prepared because once the game starts it’s an all-out,” Burns said.
Luis Ramirez and catcher Connor Burns discussing how they want to approach the next batter Photo credit: John Fajardo/ LBSU athletics
Ramirez adds on about his relationship saying Burns plays a big part in helping him grow as a pitcher but also a good relationship with the shortstop has helped him improve his game, along with the rest of the squad. That they need to communicate to hype each other up or give comments on where each of them can improve. For him, it feels good as a player knowing that his whole team has his back and will support each other to grow as a more dynamic squad.
Yet how could he not improve while being at such a top baseball program at The Beach? Coach Valenzuela adds that the experiences he’s had here facing multiple types of players from all over the place have led him to get even better because of the experience he’s had here and he’s put on the weight he needs for more power can definitely see him eventually playing in the big leagues.
Even though he’s been in recent talks of being drafted he wants to focus on the present where he says, “I’m not really thinking about it too much he wants to give his everything to Long Beach and help us go all the way to Omaha.” Valenzuela said as he went on to talk about Ramirez focusing on this season.
Ramirez represents the school in a positive manner and will have The Beach being the ones to watch this season.
