Ryan Seyler '03

Ryan Seyler was of the finest pitchers to grace the Penn State Behrend baseball program athletically and academically. The right-hander broke the school record for wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and complete games. Seyler, the first pitcher to be named a two-time Academic All-American, earned the prestigious Herb Lauffer Scholarship/Leadership and the John Zahniser Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards.

Seyler made an immediate impact from the moment he stepped on the diamond. After being voted Most Valuable Freshman in 2000, Seyler posted a 3-1 record on the mound in nine games and struck out his season-best 45 batters the following year to earn him All-AMCC second-team accolades. He was also named Most Valuable Pitcher, marking the first of three seasons he would be recognized with this honor by his teammates.

Not only did Seyler make history in his final two seasons, but so did the team with back-to-back ECAC Championships, their first-ever AMCC title and a two-year record of 68-18 overall. As a junior, he finished ranked eighth in all of Division III statistics with a 1.36 ERA, only allowing 10 earned runs in 11 games. Seyler went the distance with a six-hitter and one earned run for his school-record eighth victory of the season, helping Behrend defeat Franklin & Marshall 3-1 for the ECAC championship. He finished the year gaining his second straight All-Conference honors on the second team, while receiving his first of two Academic All-American nods.

In 2003, Seyler won eight out of the 12 games he started to rank first for most wins in a season. Those victories led the Lions to their first-ever AMCC title and second straight ECAC Championship, including a win in each of those playoff championship games.

He remains in the record books currently tied for third in career wins (23), third in innings pitched (235.6), fourth in strikeouts (157) and seventh in ERA (3.09).