Hall of Fame
Ryan Walsh is among the most decorated baseball players in the history of the Little East Conference (LEC) and UMass Boston, and was instrumental in the program’s success in the early 2010s that would transform the Beacons into one of the premier programs in the nation.
Walsh was a three-time First Team All-LEC selection at second base and was named the 2011 LEC Player of the Year after batting .445 with 69 hits, 14 doubles, 12 homers, 51 RBI, 42 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. His 2011 batting average, home run total and slugging percentage (.806) remain program records to this day.
His list of accolades extended well beyond the LEC. Wash earned All-America honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com following his junior and senior campaigns. He was First Team All-American by both organizations in 2011 after garnering Third Team All-American honors in 2010. He was additionally named All-Region by the ABCA three times, and was named the 2011 ECAC New England Region Player of the Year.
The 2010 season saw the Beacons reach unprecedented heights, as they posted an overall record of 32-17 on their way to winning their first-ever LEC tournament championship to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the first time in program history. After going 4-0 in the LEC tournament, the Beacons swept their way through the New England Regional to advance to the DIII College World Series.
During his record-setting four-year career, Walsh batted .396 average and slugged .624 as he amassed 266 hits, 187 runs scored, 166 RBI, 64 doubles, 25 home runs, 419 total bases, 79 stolen bases and 449 assists. He remains atop the program’s career leader list in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases (419), runs scored, RBI, stolen bases and assists. His 72 runs scored 59 RBI from the 2010 campaign still top the program’s single-season leaderboard, as do hit .445 batting average, .806 slugging percentage and 12 homers in 2011.
Walsh earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UMass Boston in 2012. He was inducted into the UMass Boston/Boston State College Hall of Fame in 2022.