Cal Ripken's Kid Left Off Roster

Uh oh, stop the presses...Billy Ripken's nephew didn't make the roster for his college baseball team.

According to The Herald, Ryan Ripken, son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., is poised to redshirt this upcoming season for the South Carolina Gamecocks.  The team released their roster Friday, just hours before opening the season and absent...the freshman first baseman.

Young Ripken was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 20th round of last year's draft.  He opted to head to college instead of competing for a spot on a minor league roster.

Last season, as a high school senior, Ryan Ripken hit .377 and drove in 25 runs.

Orioles Draft Cal Ripken's Kid

The thing I like most about this time of year is seeing whose kid gets drafted by what team. 

And, it should come as no surprise, the Baltimore Orioles went ahead and drafted Ryan Ripken, son of Charm City hero Cal Jr. in the 20th round of this year's MLB Draft.

Sure, Ryan wasn't the first second generation ballplayer to get selected, but let's not kid ourselves, the names Lee Mazzilli and Lance McCullers aren't really setting the interwebs on fire.

You see, their offspring got drafted as well.  But, more about that younger Ripken!

The 6-foot-6 high school senior batted .377 with 25 RBIs and 20 runs scored this past season. And as a pitcher...dude went 4-1 with 2.30 ERA.

This past November, you might recall, Ryan signed his letter of intent to play baseball for the University of South Carolina.

Cal Ripken's Kid Commits to South Carolina

Do you know how hard it is to write a catchy lead to a story about a Hall of Famer's son signing a letter of intent to play collegiate baseball without including some hackneyed "like father, like son" reference?

Damn hard.

If only Gilmore (Baltimore) High School senior Ryan Ripken's dad was Billy "Uncle F***face" Ripken...I wouldn't have this problem.

Anyhoo.

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks landed one of the game's most recognizable names in baseball when the junior Ripken (NOT Cal Ripken Jr.) signed his letter of intent Monday.

The six-foot-six Ripken, a first baseman who also pitches, is a three-year starter who batted .353 as a junior.

“He’s been terrific for us and it’s a wonderful opportunity for him and I’m sure he’ll make the most of it,” Gilman's head coach Larry Sheets told the Baltimore Sun. “He had a few choice, quality schools who pursued him. Who wouldn’t want to go to school of the caliber of South Carolina?”

According to South Carolina fan site The Big Spur (was the Big Cock taken?), Ripken chose the Gamecocks over Coastal Carolina, Maryland and Wake Forest.

And if this whole baseball thing doesn't work out...the kid is also a monster on the basketball court, averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 boards a game.

"I want to prove myself in one, and that's baseball," the lanky lefty said in some random interview I dug up. "Baseball, in my opinion, is the tougher sport. It's the greater challenge for me.  And it's something I want to do."

Some online scouting websites have Ripken ranked as the top player in the state of Maryland and the tenth best at his position in the country.  Dude's also reportedly got a 3.7 GPA...not too shabby!

And, yeah, Ripken's coach Larry Sheets is the same Larry Sheets who played alongside Cal (and sometimes Billy) from 1984 to 1989 for the Baltimore Orioles.