Rising senior Ryan Cusick recently participated at East Coast Pro in Tampa, FL and the Area Code Games in Long Beach, CA. The right-handed pitcher hails from Sudbury, MA and committed to Wake Forest University in June 2016.

Cusick told me that a mix of comfortability, academics, baseball and facilities were big factors into his decision to commit to the ACC school.

“I felt the most comfortable at Wake Forest,” Cusick added. “The combination of playing in the ACC, being a great academic school, and having one of the best coaching staffs in college baseball, it was an easy choice. In addition to that, the program has just finished building a new player development facility, which will allow me to make the most progress.”

Something that is interesting about the Class of 2018 in New England is that a number of their top baseball prospects are committed to Wake Forest. That’s not an entirely common occurrence, being that the school is in Winston-Salem, NC.

Five of Prep Baseball Report’s top 35 prospects from the Class of 2018 are committed to play at Wake Forest — No. 2 Grant Lavigne (Bedford, NH), No. 3 Ryan Cusick (Sudbury, MA), No. 8 Shane Smith (Danvers, MA), No. 13 Brendan Tinsman (Cape Elizabeth, ME) and No. 32 Brennen Oxford (Durham, NH). The Class of 2017 only had two signees from New England, both coming from the state of Massachusetts.

“I think that it is awesome to have a few New England guys in the recruiting class and in the program, “ he said. “There is a lot of talent in New England, and it is huge that Wake has been able to commit a number of the top New England guys in the past few years. I had the privilege to play with a few Wake commits with the Northeast Baseball Rays this summer, and will play with a few more Wake commits at East Coast Pro and Area Code, so it is really cool to play on the same team as them, and get a preview of what the next few years will be like.”

Cusick currently attends Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury, MA. This past season, the team made a run to the state tournament, ultimately falling to Lowell, who would ultimately make it to the Final Four, in the region quarterfinals and finishing their season with a record of 14-9.

He mentioned that the team has been a pretty tight-knit group of guys that’s constantly in touch. His sophomore year, the team went 22-4 and made an outstanding run to the state championship, where they barely lost on a walk-off to West Springfield.

“My sophomore year, our team made a great run to the state championship game,” Cusick mentioned. “Those two weeks of the playoffs were made up of so many great moments and memories.”

Cusick entered his sophomore year of high school at 6-foot-4 and weighing 165 pounds. With the help of Cressey Sports Performance — and a growth of two inches — he skyrocketed to 230 pounds in 18 months.

“I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by the best coaches in the business at Cressey Sports Performance,” as he credited them for his 65-pound weight gain. “I was able to change my body through working out six days a week during those 18 months, and by following a nutrition plan. Staying consistent to this training and eating regimen, I was able to put on a lot of good, muscle weight, which ultimately made my body more powerful and durable.”

The right-hander credits his three-pitch mix to his future success at the collegiate level. He believes that if he can continue being an all-around constant pitcher over the next couple years, he should be able to help whatever team/school he’s with win.

“My three-pitch mix will allow me to make an impact right out of the gate,” Cusick emphasized. “I have developed a change up over the past year, which has really added to my fastball and slider combo. If I continue to be able to throw all three pitches for strikes consistently, I should be able to make an impact.”

During the summer, Cusick spends his time playing baseball for an elite travel ball program called North East Baseball. The program has had 45 draft picks and over 200 players that have committed to a college for baseball.

“Being surrounded by other players that work hard everyday to get better has allowed our team to thrive as a whole, as well as every player thriving individually,” he added about the program. “NEB has been proven to be the best program in the Northeast, and one of the best programs in the country. Playing with the best players and being coached by the best coaches has really allowed me to be the best that I can be.”