The Ontario Royals are pleased to welcome Ryan Balan as new 15U Head Coach and program Outfield Coordinator.
Coach Balan has a wealth of experience to draw upon for our 15U Royals, as an NCAA All-American, an MiLB (Red Sox) player, and with over a decade coaching locally and internationally under his belt.
The Whitby, Ontario native grew up playing locally, before heading to California University of Pennsylvania (NCAA D2) on a baseball scholarship, obtaining a degree in sociology. Ryan’s College career included the following honours:
· Academic All-Conference Team (PSAC) x 2
· All-Conference Outfielder x 2
· All-Region Outfielder (Atlantic Region)
· Most Valuable Player (Atlantic Region)
· All-American (OF) 2002
Following his successful College career, Ryan was signed by the Boston Red Sox as a Pitcher and played at two levels of their minor league system in 2002 and 2003 (GCL Red Sox, Lowell Spinners).
Ryan continued to play professionally from 2004-2006 at the international level in the German Bundesliga, Australian Greater Brisbane Baseball League, and Dutch 1st League, earning multiple MVP honours and a Pitcher of the Year award.
During his international career, Ryan promoted the game of baseball through various coaching and mentoring opportunities. He has coached house league, rep, regional, and international teams, with player ages ranging from children and youth, to teens and adults.
Having worked with homeless and street-involved youth in the Toronto core since 2007, Ryan has combined his playing and coaching experiences with his support and outreach experience to create an approach to coaching that focuses on engagement and repetition, rapport building, and positive instruction. His coaching method allows players to experience the game of baseball in a relaxed yet intensive way, encouraging them develop their skills progressively with self-confidence.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Balan to the Royals coaching staff!
@balanbaseball16 on Twitter