On the morning of July 17, senior Samanyu Ram was eating breakfast at Saratoga Bagels when he got a call he was hoping for: He learned he had earned a slot to play NCAA Division III baseball at New York University (NYU).
“As soon as I got the offer, I called my mom and dad — they were all super happy for me,” Ram said. “It’s a moment that I’m not going to forget.”
Just three days later, after some back-and-forth with NYU recruiters, Ram committed as a pitcher and position player with plans to study at the famed Stern School of Business. Other schools such as University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Haverford College all showed interest in Ram, but NYU was the first offer he received and — after touring several campuses on unofficial visits — the excellent baseball facilities stood out to him and the school climbed to the top of his list.
“The stadiums are pretty awesome, and NYU’s is right on the water,” Ram said. ”It’s a really cool experience, and I think being a student athlete there is gonna be a lot of fun.”
Ram began contacting Division I and III recruiting coordinators last May. He sent them a “bullpen,” which consisted of 40 pitches thrown in a controlled environment, as well as game film and statistics from the season. Although he started the recruitment process later than most athletes, NYU reached out to him within a month.
Playing the sport since he was 7, Ram started taking baseball even more seriously when he entered high school, realizing he could use his athletic talent as his ticket to college. He has been a varsity starter on the school team since his freshman year and played for the Trosky Baseball club team.
His fastball reaches a top speed of 87 mph, and his throws across the diamond from first base to shortstop top out near 90 mph. Ram says that his arm strength, secondary pitches and spin levels were all statistics that helped him stand out among other aspiring collegiate players.
“I didn’t know what I could do to get on the coaches’ radar, but I just trusted the whole process and sent my stuff. I always knew I was good enough to play at the next level — [there was just the question] on whether I could get myself out there and get people to believe that I could play at that level. It was definitely stressful.”
Making sure his skills were translated to his recruiters was his greatest struggle, given he had less time to contact them than many other athletes. Thankfully, NYU’s near-immediate interest lifted that burden off his shoulders.
Ram said he looks forward to meeting new people at NYU. There, he also hopes to pave new paths for a career after college through the many businesses and firms the city offers.
“Honestly, I’m just gonna kind of ride it as far as I can,” Ram said, “If I get to play past college, I’ll definitely choose that route over another job. But if I go past college and things don’t work out, then I always have my degree to fall back on.”
