Ramsey earns spot on Louisburg baseball roster

A year ago, Spencer Ramsey didn’t think baseball would be his route to college.

The recent Rocky Mount High grad saw it as his second-best sport. On Tuesday, Ramsey found himself at a private workout with Louisburg College. He got reps at first, second and third base, moved through throwing work and took cuts in batting practice.

He walked away with a roster spot, becoming the crowning moment of a senior baseball season that saw Ramsey find a spot in the Gryphons’ lineup and thrive.

“It was opportunity, I guess,” Ramsey said. “It has been kind of a struggle, in a talented team this year in what was a talented league with several Division I, II and III baseball athletes, it was tough to get noticed,” Ramsey said. “And a lot of time with Coach (Pat) Smith, it was tough to get on the field.

“I worked as hard as I could in the two years that I was with (Smith), and he just gave me that shot.”

Ramsey saw time at second base sporadically to start this baseball season, but he transitioned to third when the Gryphons needed stability there. He turned into the No. 2 hitter on the lineup card and offered solid defense. Rocky Mount (17-7) won the Big East conference tournament against Wilson Hunt, 2-1, on May 4. Spencer called that title “destiny” because of how tight the group of players became since playing in Pee Wee league together. It was also special for Ramsey to send his head coach out on top. The Gryphons advanced to the second round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs, and Smith announced his retirement after the season ended.

“Coach Smith is a rare gem,” Ramsey said. “He is tough on you but at the same time, he wants you to get better.

“Truly, not a lot of people expected a lot from me out of baseball season. They knew I was a good fielder and knew I could get on base. But I don’t know, Coach Smith just saw a little something extra in me, and not a lot of people saw that in me.”

Ramsey entered the school year with the hopes of playing college basketball. He was courted by a couple smaller schools, saying one of which was an Iowa-based college that was interested.

That eventually settled out before Louisburg expressed interest near the end of baseball season. If he hadn’t made the team, Ramsey said he would have attended Wake Tech Community College as a student.

Ramsey will be joined on the team by Faith Christian shortstop Ben Lewis, who just helped the Patriots win the 2-A NCISAA state championship last month.