Ryan Bruno: Knowledge is Power
Ryan Bruno - American Heritage High School - Class of 2020 - Stanford Commit
When choosing where to spend the next four years of his life, Ryan Bruno knew he had to choose a place that would not only allow him to succeed on the baseball field, but also prepare him for life after.
The foundation on the field was laid early. He’s played baseball year-round ever since he can remember, spending much of that time with his travel ball team. That’s where his coach, Chad Mills, taught him the value of honing his fundamentals. He also taught Ryan the importance of the mental side of the game. “Strengthening your knowledge of the game is vital,” he says “and Coach Mills taught me not to press more than you can. If you’re not a power hitter then don’t try to hit for power. Do what you can do and the rest will come as you develop.”
When he wasn’t on the field, the water was Ryan’s second home. He and his twin brother, Jaden, would spend hours fishing and catching up with friends at the beach. He and his friends are a close knit group. They frequently take advantage of the plentiful amount of surf and turf options in their hometown of Wellington, Florida and meet up for some late-night snacks on the weekend. They’d kick back as the sun set, play some Travis Scott or Drake and try to get their minds off anything stressful going on in their lives.
Building close relationships with his teammates is important for Ryan. “Knowing that we ended the season fifteen Division I Commits,” he says “shows how talented we were and how no one player was more important than the next.” Making the state championship was the culmination of that teamwork for Ryan. With that state championship run came more recruiting offers for the entire team. They “went through it together.” When one of them was struggling to pick a school, the others were there as sounding boards. “It definitely helped certain kids,” he says. “Most importantly,” he maintains, “if I was giving advice to a kid choosing a school, I would preach focusing on your academics because it helps put you in front of the high-major schools.”
Getting the opportunity to travel to different countries and strengthen those relationships during their travels were the most critical for him. He recalls a trip to Bahamas in the summer of sophomore year, saying “the weather was incredible, but getting to meet players my age in their country is what really made it worth it. We spoke about our aspirations for the future and how some of them planned to play summer baseball. It was an experience I won’t forget.”
His parents have been his support system - the people who have helped him focus on being a good person before becoming a good player. They’ve sacrificed some personal and career opportunities, not only to encourage his love of the game, but also to attend every game. His travel team schedule alone was a major commitment. His father, Peter, is a media consultant and his mother, Christine, is a couples’ mediator and former attorney. Peter is the stricter of the two, a disciplinarian. He sets the rules they follow and the consequences if they don’t. He’s also helped him develop on the field, taking him to the park and batting cages when he needed to get some extra work in. Christine is more lenient and focused on teaching Ryan the values of time management and establishing the right priorities. She’s “kept him sane.” Both have provided the perfect balance and preached the value of education and earning good grades. Dedicating a set time to school work before baseball has become second nature for Ryan and he’s thankful for that discipline heading into Stanford. “At some point baseball goes away,” he acknowledges, “and that education and knowledge can be key to furthering your success.” He’s hoping to ensure that success by majoring in Sports Medicine. “There’s a connection you relate to as an athlete,” he says, “feeling what is happening and as a physical therapist seeing and understanding what is happening to the human body.”
The college recruiting process was a “pretty intense” one for Ryan. Schools were constantly reaching out to him and his brother, making their pitches to both separately and as a package deal. “If there’s one high major school that likes you, there’s a high likelihood that a few others will like you too,” he suggests. In the end though, his only goal was to choose the school that fit him the best. His high school coach, Carm Mazza, was crucial to that process, reaching out to college coaches and utilizing his connections to increase his exposure. After he put them in contact, Coach Mazza said it was now up to Ryan to make a decision.
The educational standards of an institution were the primary concern for Ryan and Stanford certainly fulfills that criteria. As far as preparing for those educational rigors, he’s already gotten a head start by building a relationship with Stanford pitcher Brendan Beck. Beck’s assured him that if he works hard and gets his work done, “he’ll have nothing to worry about.” He’s soothed any concerns over the academic side of Stanford being potentially overwhelming. On the baseball side, he has no concerns and “just want[s] to get back out on the field.” He views the atmosphere as “one of a kind and the camaraderie that comes with it is indescribable.” He’s already begun that camaraderie-building with future Stanford teammate Drew Bowser after playing with him at the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He looks forward to becoming a more well-rounded person with the change of scenery. The California weather that comes along with it doesn’t hurt either.
It also helps that his brother, Jaden will be attending alongside him. “The transition will be much easier,” he admits. They’ll now have each other to lean on if they go through any rough patches and each will help the other get accustomed to a new environment. It’s even more beneficial to their acclimation that they’re both different. Although both are extremely competitive and work hard at their craft, they have different approaches to life. Ryan is more of a “go with the flow” type of person. He’d rather “wing it” and see where things go. He also claims to be the funnier of the two. Jaden prefers being structured and although social, is not as outgoing as his brother, but very focused on his pursuits. Both, however, “love to trash talk each other” and it’s definitely something they’ve used to fuel each other’s development. They’ll continue to do so at Stanford, although that wasn’t the original plan. “We were planning on going our separate ways,” he mentions, “but in the end we both thought it was the best fit individually-speaking. It just so happened to work out that we chose the same school.”
“The key is staying one step ahead of the other team, and being confident to the point where they’re affected mentally.”
He knows that there will be more pressure on the next level, but he remains confident. “The key is staying one step ahead of the other team,” he says, “and being confident to the point where they’re affected mentally.” The mental part of the game is where Ryan believes he has an advantage. When he makes a mistake, he gets over it and moves on. “There’s always eyes on you,” he adds, “ and you have to have the mindset where you move onto the next play and know you’re better than that one mistake. You see a lot of players don’t do that and hold onto it until it affects them negatively.” For Ryan, allowing that negativity to enter his mind is out of the question. “Baseball is like life,” he asserts, “you have to work for everything you want and even with mistakes along the way, you can recover.”
He knows that he can make an impact on both sides of the spectrum, not only producing results on the field, but off of it. It’s why he’s looking forward to using his platform as a player to help others, particularly those with autism. He’s spent time with kids dealing with neurological conditions and getting them on the field for their dream baseball experience. Possessing a creative imagination and the dedication to implement his ideas, he’s looking forward to designing more ways to give back to his community. If there’s anything he holds above all, it’s that knowledge is power.