FRUITPORT – Fruitport varsity baseball coach Nick Reed remembers when Ryan Bosch first took the mound for the Trojans.

Bosch was a lanky freshman first baseman, and the Trojans put him in to pitch one inning against rival Spring Lake.

“We knew he had the height and the makeup and the stuff, so we brought him in against Spring Lake,” Reed said. “We needed one inning from him, and he went out there and struck out three batters on nine pitches. We were just like, ‘OK, obviously we have something here.’”

That turned out to be a very correct observation.

Over three seasons, Bosch has become an elite high school pitcher, earning All-Conference and All-District honors three times and All-State status once. He has struck out 235 batters over 140 innings, and has only given up 39 earned runs, leaving him with a very impressive 1.94 career ERA.

He has also excelled at the plate, posting a gaudy .403 batting average with 94 RBIs over three seasons.

His performance in high school baseball, and in elite junior travel baseball, caught the attention of college scouts around the nation.

As a sophomore he committed to study and play baseball at the University of Michigan, but then the Wolverines changed coaches, Bosch changed his mind, and committed to Wake Forest University, a strong baseball school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

He made his commitment official on Monday by signing a national letter of intent in a special ceremony at the high school, in front of family, friends, teammates, coaches and other well-wishers.

“They reached out to me, said they wanted to talk, and everything sort of clicked.” Bosch said about choosing Wake Forest over other interested universities. “I just went down south and fell in love with the weather down there. The whole coaching staff down there was great, and I pretty much fell in love with the facilities and the campus. I love how they can change the metrics of how you pitch.”

Bosch has always dreamed of playing professional baseball and reaching the Major Leagues, and it appears that his college choice could help him in that regard.

In last summer’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, three of the top 10 players selected were from Wake Forest.

“It’s a great program and a good fit for Ryan,” Coach Reed said. “They are a baseball factory, and he will do well there. He will be pushed, but he’s up to the challenge. He’s good academically and he’s good about time management.”

Reed isn’t completely convinced that the hard-throwing Bosch will spend a lot of time at Wake Forest. He thinks he could be drafted by a Major League team, perhaps as soon as this summer, which would force him to make some decisions about how soon to turn professional.

“He’s 6-foot-8 and left-handed,” said Reed, who noted that Bosch, at the age of 17, has already hit 94 mph with his fastball. “He’s pitched at the elite levels of travel ball, and they’ve all seen him pitch against top competition.”

Bosch admits that stepping onto a Major League baseball field is his ultimate goal.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was seven,” Bosch said. “It would mean to the world to me to prove that my talent in worthy of playing in the big leagues. It’s few and far between for sometime to be drafted. I wake up every morning believing I have the talent to do that.”

Becoming a college and pro prospect has meant some changes in Bosch’s high school experience.

Last year he was the starting center for the Fruitport basketball team, and while basketball is definitely not his best sport, he would have been a valuable player in the lineup this season.

But Bosch knew that the daily training regimen he will have to follow to prepare for college baseball would not allow him to play on the team this winter.

“It was definitely a hard pill to swallow, but I think everyone understands the situation I’m in,” Bosch said. “To play at Wake Forest, you are expected to concentrate and focus on one thing. I am definitely going to support the basketball team. They play their first game on Tuesday against Muskegon Heights, and you better believe I will be there rooting them on.”

Bosch still has some unfinished business with the Fruitport baseball team, however.

Baseball has always been his best sport and top priority, and he will be back with the Trojans for one more season this spring.

Last year Fruitport showed some promise with a very young team, posting a 16-16 record. The Trojans had high hopes to compete for a district championship but lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Coopersville in a pre-district game, leaving all the coaches and players hungry for another chance.

Most of the players from that team are returning this spring, and Bosch is excited about having one last opportunity to help his high school squad accomplish some big goals.

“Our first goal is to win the conference,” Bosch said. “I think we have a good chance of winning the O-K Silver. We got knocked out (of the state tournament) way too early last year. Losing 1-0 sucks. Now we just have to be hungry and want it. We have to have that drive to get to the next level.

“I am going to show up for practice 2 ½ hours every day and give it my all. Those are my brothers and my coaches. After practice I will deal with all of the outside stuff. You can’t get too wrapped up in the future when you have to focus on what’s going on now.”