TP_061319

38 | June 13, 2019 | the tinley Junction sports
tinleyjunction.com
Tinley Park residents Troike, Ritter taken in MLB Draft
STEVE MILLAR
Contributing Editor
When Ben Troike was
hit by a pitch in a game
against Indiana in early
May and broke his right
thumb, it did not just end
the Illinois shortstop’s junior
season. It also cast
some doubt on his status
for the Major League
Baseball Draft.
Troike, a Lincoln-Way
North graduate and Tinley
Park native, was unsure
how missing the final
month of the season would
impact teams’ attempts to
evaluate him.
“I wasn’t sure what
would happen,” Troike
said. “It all worked out in
the end.”
Troike’s moment to
celebrate came June 5
when the Tampa Bay
Rays selected him in the
11th round with the 338th
overall pick. Later, Tinley
resident and Lincoln-Way
East star Ryan Ritter was
taken in the 33rd round.
“When I saw my name
flash across the screen, it
was a dream come true,”
Troike said. “It’s been my
dream since I was a little
kid. Being there, watching
it with my family, it was
just phenomenal.”
Troike said his nerves
were building heading into
the final day of the draft,
but he didn’t have to wait
long as the Rays took him
in the first round of the
day. The first two rounds
took place June 3, with
rounds 3-10 the following
day.
“I was following the
draft, woke up, got a couple
calls,” Troike said. “I
got calls from my advisor,
wasn’t really sure when
I was going to go, but we
kind of had an idea that
Lincoln-Way East’s Ryan Ritter was taken in the 33rd
round by the Cubs. The Tinley Park resident is also
committed to Austin Peay. STEVE MILLAR/22ND CENTURY
MEDIA
early on [June 5], I’d get
my name called. Fortunately,
the Rays picked
me in the 11th round and I
couldn’t be happier.”
Lincoln-Way Central
coach Mitch Nowicki,
who coached Troike at
North, said in a tweet that
Troike “had unprecedented
work ethic, always the
first to [the] field, craving
extra reps. Tremendous
competitor.”
Troike hit .260 with two
home runs and 21 RBI in
45 games this spring. His
most productive season
with the Illini was a sophomore
in 2018, when he hit
.299 with four home runs
and 30 RBI.
With a year of eligibility
remaining at Illinois,
Troike has a decision to
make. It’s typical for collegiate
juniors picked as
high as the 11th round to
sign as seniors are thought
to have less leverage in
contract negotiations.
“I’m going to weigh all
my options,” Troike said.
“I haven’t made a decision
yet. I’m going to talk
things over with my family,
coaches and make the
best decision I can. It’s a
big decision. At the end
of the day, I think it just
comes down to what feels
right.
“I don’t think I’ve ever
been to Tampa. I’m excited
to get down there,
check it out and see what
it’s all about.”
If Troike does decide to
sign, he believes he can aid
the Rays with his defense
and work ethic.
“My glove is definitely
Illinois star and Tinley Park native Ben Troike was drafted by Tanpa Bay in the 11th
round. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
my strongest asset on the
baseball field,” he said.
“I’m a defense-first kind of
guy. Teams see someone
who’s not the biggest, not
the fastest, not the strongest,
but when I go out
there, I give it everything
I have and hopefully good
things happen.”
Ritter, meanwhile, was
drafted by the Cubs in
the 33rd round with the
1,002nd overall pick. He
said he’s always been a
White Sox fan.
“I’m starting to love the
Cubs a little bit more now,
though,” Ritter said.
Ritter, who is committed
to Austin Peay, figured he
might hear his name called
late in the draft, but was
unsure it would happen.
When it did, it was quite
the memorable moment.
“It felt really good,” he
said. “It’s always been a
dream of mine. I’m happy
it came true.”
Ritter was the Griffins’
top hitter this spring, finishing
with a .429 average,
four home runs, 23
RBI, 41 runs and 10 stolen
bases.
He said he will evaluate
his options over the coming
days.
“I’m going to talk to
my family and my coaches,
figure out what’s best
for me and just go from
there,” he said.
For now, Ritter’s summer
plans involve prepping
for college.
“I might play for the
[Northwest Indiana] Oilmen
in the Midwest Collegiate
League,” he said.
“My goal is to go into college
and fit in physically.
My plan this summer is to
eat a lot, work out a lot and
just stay sharp with baseball.”