Bosch Ready For 'One Heck Of A Ride' At Michigan

Ryan Bosch LHP / 1B / Fruitport, MI / 2025

MUSKEGON - His “dream school” has everything Ryan Bosch wanted.

“The atmosphere is the best,” Bosch said of the University of Michigan. “There’s a different kind of vibe there.”

The top-rated 2025 left-handed pitcher in the state will get a lot of time to enjoy that “atmosphere and vibe” after making a commitment to attend college two-and-a-half hours from home.

“I started looking at Michigan two years ago when I started getting recruited by smaller schools,” Bosch reflected. “I wanted them in my top five. It’s always been my dream school.”

There were a large number of big schools in addition to Michigan that were vying for attention from Bosch during the recruiting process.

“When I looked at Bama, Wake, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina .. I just didn’t feel the same energy brought to my heart,” Bosch explained. “Michigan was where I wanted to be.

“I also looked at the program,” the Fruitport High School sophomore added. “It’s classy. I didn’t want to go somewhere that’s cocky. Watching Michigan the last few years, everything about it is classy. There’s a positive atmosphere in the dugout, even when they’re losing.”

It was four months ago when Michigan head coach Tracy Smith reached out to Brandon Williams, Bosch’s travel coach with the San Diego Padres Scout Team.

“My coach told coach Smith I have a left-handed pitcher you’d be interested in,” Bosch related. “We got on the phone and he was honest, we’re going to offer you this and this. He said when you come to Michigan you better be able to work.”

That is nothing new for Bosch.

“I come from a school where I wasn’t the ‘big dog’ growing up,” Bosch pointed out. “I played up and faced a lot of adversity.”

The timeliness of the commitment proved important.

“The offer came when the new rule where you couldn’t talk until junior year was coming into effect,” Bosch noted. “I committed on a Tuesday night before it went into effect on Wednesday.”

It was an easy decision in the long run according to the fourth-rated sophomore in Michigan.

“When I went on a visit by myself I saw all the positive people in the dugout,” Bosch said. “There was so much positive energy. I fell in love with the coaches. They all shot me straight and I like that. I don’t want anyone to sugar coat it. You have to work to get what you want.

“I remember talking with (associate head) coach (Ben) Greenspan for an hour-and-a-half one night. It wasn’t even talking about baseball. We talked about family and hobbies. I never had that before.”

Michigan found a lot to admire about Bosch.

“They love my work ethic,” the 6-3 195-pounder noted. “I’m a big lefty with a really good slider, curveball and changeup. They said they could develop me into something special.”

Bosch points to recent improvement as big in getting to this point.

“I was throwing lower-80s last year and this year I'm in the upper 80s, I hit 90 a couple of weeks ago,” Bosch said. “I’m also more composed now. I used to get upset.”

Admittedly, the recruiting process was “super stressful” according to the 15-year-old.

“I had all these schools that wanted to talk,” Bosch explained. “Talking to 30 programs started getting stressful. It all started two years ago with offers from Davenport and Lake Superior State. Then it broke out talking with bigger schools like Michigan State, Indiana and Wake.

“Something that PBR did to help was that I was up there in the rankings,” added Bosch. “I think colleges like to see that. PBR showcases a lot of pitchers on their twitter posts and I got a lot of hype on that. It’s special what PBR was trying to do for me.”

Travis Webb and Austin Curtis with Cage 52 are others that Bosch gave credit for helping in his development.

“They helped with my mental toughness and with my pitching,” Bosch said. “They really developed me into something special.”

It has Bosch excited about when he can bring to the Big 10 program.

“As a freshman I hope to throw in the low-90s and be competitive on the mound,” Bosch related. “I want to be someone who can close even if I’m a starter. I want to be a reliable person to coach Smith.”

A commitment, admittedly, brought relief.

“It was a lot of stress off my shoulders,” Bosch noted. “But now that it’s over I feel like now is the time to put my head down and grind. Just because I committed I can’t take time off. I’ve got to keep pushing as hard as I can.”

Bosch, who carries a 3.8 GPA at Fruitport, is looking at sport management or biology as a college major.

“I’m looking forward to the whole college experience,” Bosch concluded. “My parents told me you only go to school once, have fun and live the college life, but still be focused on school and baseball. Being at Michigan is going to be one heck of a ride.”