Paine Discovers Fairfield Is The Right School For Him

Ryan Paine SS / Trumbull, CT / 2025

TRUMBULL, Ct. - Initially, Fairfield was “not high on my list” according to Ryan Paine. But that eventually changed in a big way for the seventh-rated 2024 shortstop in New England.

“They have great academics, I like the campus, it’s a baseball school and I like the coaches,” the Trumbull High School senior explained. “They’re all relatable and good to talk to.”

With that, the 17-year-old decided to end his recruiting process with a commitment to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference university.

“They first saw me at a team camp at Fairfield two years ago,” Paine reflected. “They followed me throughout the fall and kept in contact over the winter. Coach (Brian) Fay saw me a lot during the high school season and that’s when I got an offer.”

A visit actually took place in the fall at a time Paine had interest from a number of schools including UConn, St. John’s, Maryland, Villanova and Quinnipiac. The offer came during high school baseball.

“We were playing Fairfield Prep and I went 3-for-3,” the 34th-rated 2025 in New England noted. “(Head) Coach (Bill) Currier was there watching and I got an offer about a week later. After that I went to a Fairfield game and went into his office and that’s when he offered. He gave me a month's time frame to decide.

“I took the whole month, weighing the pros and cons,” Paine continued. “In the end I decided it was the right school for me.”

Fairfield was pleased to receive a commitment from the third-ranked senior shortstop in Connecticut.

“They really like how I play in the field, that I’ve got a good bat and how I swing,” Paine explained. “Every time a coach came to see me, I played well.”

The reality of playing at the next level has been “a goal since I began baseball” according to Paine.

“My dad played at UConn and Iona and I look up to him,” Paine said. “I wanted to play in college like he did.”

The seventh-rated 2025 in Connecticut credited one event with being a difference-maker in his recruiting process.

“The biggest thing for me was definitely the Future Games,” noted Paine. “I played well. On Aug. 1, I had a lot of phone calls and texts. It was kind of overwhelming but I got used to it.”

Paine also pointed to an improved game with helping the cause of getting on the radar of college coaches.

“I’ve worked hard on every aspect of my game,” Paine explained. “The biggest thing was going to the weight room and putting on weight. I added 20 pounds last year which helped with power and speed. I’m 6-2 205 now and last summer was around 180. I saw a big improvement in power in the high school season.”

Paine also had high praise for the coaches at BBU for assisting in his baseball journey.

“Anything they’d tell me I listened to,” Paine said. “I know they want the best for me and that they know a lot about baseball.”

Admittedly, being just 20 minutes from home for college was a deterrent initially.

“At first my biggest concern was being too close to home,” Paine related. “But I talked to Charlie Pagliarini from St. Joe’s High School, who went to Fairfield and got drafted. He said once you’re there you won’t go home and if you need to it’s only 20 minutes away.”

The decision to make Fairfield his future home was “really exciting” in the eyes of Paine.

“All the work has paid off,” Paine said. “But I know I still have a lot to work on at high school next year and after that at college. I have a lot I want to accomplish.”

The idea of being a college baseball player is intriguing as well as invigorating for Paine.

“I’m looking forward to being on a team and playing,” concluded Paine, a 3.6 student at Trumbull who plans to major in either business or education. “I know I’ll have to battle and keep working to find a spot. I’m just hoping to be a good team player and be a leader as we work toward a MAAC championship.”