I’m proud to be associated with this story, as an alumni of a great high school and a current member of the coaching staff for Kingsway Regional High School’s baseball team. This Friday, May 18th, a baseball game between Kingsway Regional and Williamstown High School will take place at Kingsway, beginning at 4pm. The current Williamstown head coach, James Ambrosius, was the head coach at Kingsway when the late Ryan Iannelli was captain of his baseball team. Current Kingsway head coach, Ian Enders, was also part of the coaching staff when Ryan played at Kingsway, and is doing Kingsway proud in helping honor one of the best people I’ve ever known in Ryan. I was honored then to be a part of a great baseball program, and I’m even more honored now to be a part of what will take place on Friday.
Beginning at 3:30pm on Friday, a ceremony honoring Captain Ryan Iannelli will take place at the Kingsway Regional High School Varsity Baseball Field. A huge military contingent, along with Ryan’s family and closest friends, and proud alumni of Kingsway will be present to witness what promises to be an historic ceremony for one of Kingsway’s finest sons.
Kingsway will rename the Varsity baseball field the Ryan K. Iannelli Memorial Field in Ryan’s honor. Todd Eckman, Ryan’s best friend and also former member of the Kingsway baseball team, said of all of the honors Ryan has received, having it connected to baseball would be his most proud.
“Ryan obviously made a big impression throughout the school,” said Todd Eckman, a friend and former teammate of Iannelli’s. “He was one of those guys that whether you met him for a minute or were lifelong friends, he made you feel like you were the only person in the room.”
Current Kingsway principal and former assistant baseball coach while Ryan was playing at Kingsway, Craig Stephenson, echoed the sentiments of everybody that knew Ryan.
“We’re talking about a kid who at Kingsway was president of the senior class, was captain of the team his junior and senior year, MVP his junior year and won the coach’s award his senior year,” Stephenson said.
“He was such an important individual in this building at that time and we really want to use him as the example for our kids. He epitomizes what it means to be a Kingsway Dragon. What it means to be a hero.”
Ryan didn’t just excel on the baseball field. He was a friend, a patriot, and above all, his faith in God was tremendous. Not a day went by that Ryan didn’t talk to someone on the baseball field or in school whenever someone needed help. I went to Ryan many a time to become a better player on the baseball field, and in turn, he made me not only a better player, but a better person. That’s the impact Ryan had on not just me, but everyone he came in contact with. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the impact he had on who I became today.
For my thoughts regarding Ryan Iannelli and the impact he had on me as a person, click here.
Please, if you knew Ryan or support the military and realize the price Ryan paid for you and his country, plan to attend this baseball game. Kingsway High School hasn’t seen anything like what is planned for Friday, and probably won’t ever see anything like it again. It truly will be amazing.
