Oct. 6, 2009

Ryan Williams, a former UMass Lowell pitcher, was named to the River Hawks' baseball staff Tuesday, announced head coach Ken Harring.

Williams, who played under Harring at Saint Anselm and one year as a River Hawk, replaces Mike Marron as the staff's pitching coach.

"Ryan is a quality hire because he brings a presence and knowledge to our pitching staff," said Harring. "He also brings experience in this league that you can't measure. He was an All-American at Saint Anselm and his competitive nature on the mound will carry over to our pitchers."

UMass Lowell rode an infusion of young talent last season to a 25-20 record (15-15 in the Northeast-10 Conference, sixth), which included a dominating 12-3 campaign at home.

Highlights included a first round victory over Southern Connecticut in the Northeast-10 playoffs and hurler Jack Leathersich (Beverly, MA) claiming both NEIBA All-Star and Northeast-10 Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors. Over the summer, Leathersich was named the top prospect in the Valley Baseball League by PG Cross Checker.

"Coach Harring and I have had a long relationship," said Williams. "When he called me to see if I was interested, it did not take me very long to see the opportunity--I jumped right in."

"The dynamic of our pitching staff is by far the best in the [NE-10]. They work very hard and they've been around the game before. There are also some young guys like Jack and Dallas Nunes (Easton, MA) who've already made a name for themselves in the league. I don't think there is any other staff in the conference that works harder than these guys."

Williams inherits a UMass Lowell pitching staff that was stellar in 2009, finishing with a 3.14 ERA which ranked second in the NE-10. The River Hawks threw eight shutouts and held opponents to a paltry .236 batting average.

"These guys have been taught what it takes to be dedicated," said Williams. "This year, one of the things I want to instill in them is to finish everything they do. We talk about how finishing everything you do will correlate into finishing the ninth inning when you need it."

Williams has spent the past two seasons pitching professionally. In 2008 he was a member of the Brockton Rox of the Can Am League and in 2007 he signed with the St. Joseph Blacksnakes in the American Association.

A former Northeast-10 standout, Williams toed the rubber at UMass Lowell for his senior season. Prior to that, he pitched for Saint Anselm for three seasons. In 2006, Williams was named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Third Team, First-Team All-Region, First-Team All-Conference and was crowned the NE-10 Pitcher of the Year. In that season, he led the conference in four categories: ERA (1.03), innings pitched (105.0), strikeouts (95, tied) and strikeouts looking (36).

Williams earned a bachelor's degree in business from Saint Anselm in 2007.

A native of Lynnfield, Williams attended St. John's Prep high school where, in addition to baseball, he competed in football and indoor track and field. He currently resides in Medford.