By Stephanie Petrellese

Ryan Boelsen It is not unusual to hear that Garden City resident Ryan Boelsen is spending his summer playing baseball. The 23-year-old has played the game since he was a young child, according to his dad, Thomas. However, what many will find striking is that this experience may hopefully lead to Ryan fulfilling his dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

He recently signed a professional contract with the Sussex Skyhawks, a team in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, or CanAm, League. This is a stepping stone for many players, who eventually sign with Major League baseball teams.

Ryan attended Adelphi University on a partial baseball scholarship and recently graduated with a degree in sports management. He plans to continue his education in the fall at Adelphi by pursuing a graduate degree in physical education and hopefully one day serve the university as an assistant baseball coach.

However, this summer, Ryan has traded hitting the books for hitting baseballs. Until Labor Day, he will be in Sussex, New Jersey at Skylands Park, perched behind home plate as a catcher. According to his father, he enjoys the position because it is where a player will find much of the action during a ballgame.

Ryan was in the class of 2004 at Garden City High School, where he played varsity baseball for three years, along with several other sports including hockey and football. He also played on the baseball team at Nassau Community College for one year before transferring to Adelphi. For the next three years, Ryan was the catcher on Adelphi's baseball team. This year, he was named the team's most valuable player.

"I am very happy for Ryan and he certainly deserves this," said Dom Scala, head coach of the Adelphi Panthers. "He was one of the hardest workers that I have ever coached. He had a great year and I was very surprised that he did not get drafted, because he has all the tools to be a good pro player. He will now have his chance."

Boelsen finished his 2009 campaign as the team leader in hits (66), doubles (13) and runs batted in (39). He was also ranked second on the team in batting average (.361) and at-bats (183). For his efforts, he was recognized as a first-team, all-conference selection and an American Baseball Coaches Association and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association second team, all-region pick.

He is the 16th Panther to sign a professional contract. Adelphi captured the 2009 East Coast Conference regular season and conference title en route to the finals of the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.

There is still time to offer your support to Ryan from the stands. For more information, visit www.canamleague.com/teams/sussex.php .