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Inside the Zone with Ryan Duffy
9/3/2020 8:33:00 AM | Baseball
Through three seasons in Maroon & Gold, rising senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Duffy has been a crucial component of the Gopher bullpen. As a freshman with the historic 2018 Super Regional team, Duffy made five appearances and led the pitching staff with a 1.17 ERA, allowing just one run in 7 2/3 innings of work.
Since then, Duffy has fired 37 1/3 additional innings for Minnesota, bringing his career totals to 45 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts and a .262 batting average against. After having his 2020 campaign cut short at just 4 2/3 frames, the southpaw took his talents to the Northwoods League for the third consecutive summer.
While pitching for the NWL's Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, Duffy tossed 19 2/3 summer innings and finished with a 3.20 ERA to go with 19 strikeouts. Duffy's performance also helped power Fond du Lac to their second league championship in three years. With the focus now moving from summer baseball to his senior season in Gold Country, the St. Paul native will be looking to carry his recent string of success over to the mound with Gophers.
Gopher Sports: How did you stay busy during the extended time away from the diamond?
Duffy: "Obviously, I had school and stuff like that, but we actually got a full wooden weight rack that someone was making, so we bought one of those. So, I had a squat rack here. I had a place to deadlift and get my lifting in. And then, I had people to throw with and that essentially kept me busy. Once the golf courses opened up, I had that. I started working as well, just delivering deck boards from the deck store. Other than that, it was a lot of family game nights at the dining room table."
GS: Have you maintained dialogue with the pitching staff since the season ended?
Duffy: "[Jack Liffrig] was out there with me and then Drew Stahl was, too. I tried to keep in touch with as many guys as I could and just see how they were doing, but obviously traveling and playing every day, time just kind of gets away from you. I'm excited to see everybody more on a daily basis. It was definitely different only being able to see those guys for 15 games in a year and then you're gone and they're back home. I kept in touch as best as I could, and I'm excited to get back into it with everybody, seeing everybody every day. Definitely miss the guys because you don't usually spend this much time away from them."
GS: What was it like getting to play this summer after having the 2020 season cut short?
Duffy: "That was huge. It meant so much just to be able to play baseball. You take it for granted. It was my third year and I guess you never realize how thankful you are to be playing, because all of a sudden it's taken away and I felt lost, really, when COVID first hit. Having an opportunity to play somewhere, like Fond du Lac, where there's a good community and we had a great team there, that meant the world to me. I went out and played worry-free baseball because it was the only baseball I was going to get to play this year."
GS: Where was your primary area of focus in the Northwoods League in terms of development?
Duffy: "I really went into this summer just working on throwing strikes and confidence as a player. It was no secret that our pitching staff underperformed outside of a few guys on our staff, me included, so I think summer was a big time for me to get my confidence back and just go out and play and be the pitcher I know I can be. Just competing. Stuff like that. I think I lost a little bit of love for the game, just in the daily grind, and I took it for granted. I went into this summer with an open mind and just trying to figure out who I wanted to be as a pitcher and as a person."
GS: What was the key to your success with the Dock Spiders?
Duffy: "This being my third year in the Northwoods, I think the competition was the best I've ever seen it. One big thing for me was just having fun. There was just a good support group around me. I came in knowing what I had to do and told the people I needed to, who would hold me accountable to achieve the goals that I came in with, and it worked out for the best. I just went in and had fun, essentially. That was probably the biggest thing – that I was having fun playing. It goes a long way."
GS: How did you fare head-to-head against some of your teammates?
Duffy: "I faced [Ronald Sweeny] twice and I faced [Zack Raabe] once. Ronnie popped up to the second baseman and had a fielder's choice. And then Raabe flew out to the right fielder, so they were 0-for-3 against me. I faced Zack Elliott, too. His was a fielder's choice I believe, too."
GS: Who is one teammate that always has your number in intrasquad games?
Duffy: "Zack Raabe, actually. I think that was the first time I might have actually got him out before, was this summer."
GS: Which of your staffmates has the nastiest stuff?
Duffy: "Overall, for nastiest stuff I'm probably going to go with [J.P. Massey]. I think [Bubba Horton] has the nastiest changeup, for sure. I think that's one of the nastier pitches on the team."
GS: If you could be any Marvel hero, who would it be and why?
Duffy: "It would be Steve Rogers – Captain America. I really like him because he's big on following his moral compass rather than what society tells him to do, so he's able to think for himself and do what he sees is right. He's not necessarily worried about what other people think of him as long as he's following what he sees as morally and ethically right."
GS: What are your expectations for the Gopher pitching staff heading into 2021?
Duffy: "I expect everyone to come in a little more energetic this year. Excited to be able to play, having a season taken away from us. A lot more people coming ready to work and have fun. Just not take it for granted, not that anybody was or we were as a whole, but just see a sense of urgency in everybody. Everyone knows now that it can be taken away like that and next thing you know we're all sitting at home after 15 games and wondering what the heck just happened. I kind of expect that, outside of looking towards wins and losses. Just a lot of guys coming to really work hard because we understand how quickly it can be taken away, and take full advantage of the season we're going to have."
GS: What kind of pitcher would you describe yourself as?
Duffy: "I am more of a bulldog. I'll attack you with my best stuff. I'm not someone who really is going to pitch around anybody, because if you're going to beat me I want you to beat me when I'm at my best, so then I know that I actually got beat and didn't beat myself."
GS: Who is your way-too-early pick for 2021 breakout Gopher?
Duffy: "I'm going to pick Drew Stahl. Coming in hot with the two homer game."
GS: Are you excited to get to work with the incoming crop of pitchers?
Duffy: "I'm really excited. I met some of them. [Tom Skoro], the new transfer who's coming, he's going to live with me, too. I've been able to meet him. Noah DeLuga was playing in Rockford, which was in my pod. I've been able to talk with most of the incoming guys already, just based on Zoom calls with pitchers and things like that. They seem like a good group of guys and just like us, they had their season taken away last year, too, and are just hungry to get out there and compete with the team. After seeing what I saw this summer from Noah and from what I've heard from their class, they're going to fit right in and be able to make an impact right away. I'm excited for them to get on campus and to compete with them."
Since then, Duffy has fired 37 1/3 additional innings for Minnesota, bringing his career totals to 45 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts and a .262 batting average against. After having his 2020 campaign cut short at just 4 2/3 frames, the southpaw took his talents to the Northwoods League for the third consecutive summer.
While pitching for the NWL's Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, Duffy tossed 19 2/3 summer innings and finished with a 3.20 ERA to go with 19 strikeouts. Duffy's performance also helped power Fond du Lac to their second league championship in three years. With the focus now moving from summer baseball to his senior season in Gold Country, the St. Paul native will be looking to carry his recent string of success over to the mound with Gophers.
Gopher Sports: How did you stay busy during the extended time away from the diamond?
Duffy: "Obviously, I had school and stuff like that, but we actually got a full wooden weight rack that someone was making, so we bought one of those. So, I had a squat rack here. I had a place to deadlift and get my lifting in. And then, I had people to throw with and that essentially kept me busy. Once the golf courses opened up, I had that. I started working as well, just delivering deck boards from the deck store. Other than that, it was a lot of family game nights at the dining room table."
GS: Have you maintained dialogue with the pitching staff since the season ended?
Duffy: "[Jack Liffrig] was out there with me and then Drew Stahl was, too. I tried to keep in touch with as many guys as I could and just see how they were doing, but obviously traveling and playing every day, time just kind of gets away from you. I'm excited to see everybody more on a daily basis. It was definitely different only being able to see those guys for 15 games in a year and then you're gone and they're back home. I kept in touch as best as I could, and I'm excited to get back into it with everybody, seeing everybody every day. Definitely miss the guys because you don't usually spend this much time away from them."
GS: What was it like getting to play this summer after having the 2020 season cut short?
Duffy: "That was huge. It meant so much just to be able to play baseball. You take it for granted. It was my third year and I guess you never realize how thankful you are to be playing, because all of a sudden it's taken away and I felt lost, really, when COVID first hit. Having an opportunity to play somewhere, like Fond du Lac, where there's a good community and we had a great team there, that meant the world to me. I went out and played worry-free baseball because it was the only baseball I was going to get to play this year."
GS: Where was your primary area of focus in the Northwoods League in terms of development?
Duffy: "I really went into this summer just working on throwing strikes and confidence as a player. It was no secret that our pitching staff underperformed outside of a few guys on our staff, me included, so I think summer was a big time for me to get my confidence back and just go out and play and be the pitcher I know I can be. Just competing. Stuff like that. I think I lost a little bit of love for the game, just in the daily grind, and I took it for granted. I went into this summer with an open mind and just trying to figure out who I wanted to be as a pitcher and as a person."
GS: What was the key to your success with the Dock Spiders?
Duffy: "This being my third year in the Northwoods, I think the competition was the best I've ever seen it. One big thing for me was just having fun. There was just a good support group around me. I came in knowing what I had to do and told the people I needed to, who would hold me accountable to achieve the goals that I came in with, and it worked out for the best. I just went in and had fun, essentially. That was probably the biggest thing – that I was having fun playing. It goes a long way."
GS: How did you fare head-to-head against some of your teammates?
Duffy: "I faced [Ronald Sweeny] twice and I faced [Zack Raabe] once. Ronnie popped up to the second baseman and had a fielder's choice. And then Raabe flew out to the right fielder, so they were 0-for-3 against me. I faced Zack Elliott, too. His was a fielder's choice I believe, too."
GS: Who is one teammate that always has your number in intrasquad games?
Duffy: "Zack Raabe, actually. I think that was the first time I might have actually got him out before, was this summer."
GS: Which of your staffmates has the nastiest stuff?
Duffy: "Overall, for nastiest stuff I'm probably going to go with [J.P. Massey]. I think [Bubba Horton] has the nastiest changeup, for sure. I think that's one of the nastier pitches on the team."
GS: If you could be any Marvel hero, who would it be and why?
Duffy: "It would be Steve Rogers – Captain America. I really like him because he's big on following his moral compass rather than what society tells him to do, so he's able to think for himself and do what he sees is right. He's not necessarily worried about what other people think of him as long as he's following what he sees as morally and ethically right."
GS: What are your expectations for the Gopher pitching staff heading into 2021?
Duffy: "I expect everyone to come in a little more energetic this year. Excited to be able to play, having a season taken away from us. A lot more people coming ready to work and have fun. Just not take it for granted, not that anybody was or we were as a whole, but just see a sense of urgency in everybody. Everyone knows now that it can be taken away like that and next thing you know we're all sitting at home after 15 games and wondering what the heck just happened. I kind of expect that, outside of looking towards wins and losses. Just a lot of guys coming to really work hard because we understand how quickly it can be taken away, and take full advantage of the season we're going to have."
GS: What kind of pitcher would you describe yourself as?
Duffy: "I am more of a bulldog. I'll attack you with my best stuff. I'm not someone who really is going to pitch around anybody, because if you're going to beat me I want you to beat me when I'm at my best, so then I know that I actually got beat and didn't beat myself."
GS: Who is your way-too-early pick for 2021 breakout Gopher?
Duffy: "I'm going to pick Drew Stahl. Coming in hot with the two homer game."
GS: Are you excited to get to work with the incoming crop of pitchers?
Duffy: "I'm really excited. I met some of them. [Tom Skoro], the new transfer who's coming, he's going to live with me, too. I've been able to meet him. Noah DeLuga was playing in Rockford, which was in my pod. I've been able to talk with most of the incoming guys already, just based on Zoom calls with pitchers and things like that. They seem like a good group of guys and just like us, they had their season taken away last year, too, and are just hungry to get out there and compete with the team. After seeing what I saw this summer from Noah and from what I've heard from their class, they're going to fit right in and be able to make an impact right away. I'm excited for them to get on campus and to compete with them."
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