By Kim J. Harmon

Call it cockiness.

Call it boastfulness.

Or simply call it confidence. Call it what you will, but in his second game as a varsity high school player Ryan McGrath, then a freshman, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh of a tie game with the go-ahead run on second. Speed – or the lack thereof – on the base paths was a factor and no one was confident a single would bring that winning run home. But in a short talk with head coach Carl Strait off the third base line, McGrath said, in no uncertain terms, that he would just have to bang a double.

And he did.

Since that moment, McGrath has delivered for the Nighthawks at the plate, in the field, and on the mound and, last week, he signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Division I Wake Forest in 2007-08.

“We asked him to come up big in his second varsity game and he did,” said coach Strait. “That speaks to his abilities right there.”

In his three years, McGrath is hitting .328 (65-of-198) with 14 doubles, a triple, 33 RBI and 41 runs scored. He has also walked 38 times while stealing 12 bases. On the mound, he is 1-2 with a 2.54 earned run average, allowing 33 hits in 382/3  innings of work while striking out 30 and walking 18. Opponents have hit just .198 against him.

Those numbers are pretty sweet, but what really got McGrath noticed was his performance with the South Florida Bandits during tournament action in East Cobb, Georgia, this past summer. It’s a big showcase for college scouts and McGrath pitched, played third, hit the ball hard and caught the eye of the Wake Forest coaches.

“I was kind of nervous,” said McGrath, “because it’s called a ‘National Underclass Showcase.’ I knew there would be a lot of talent there, but I didn’t know what kind of pitching there would be. I took the attitude, though, that I would only do what I could do and play within my abilities.”

McGrath – who has been in touch with coaches from Notre Dame, Duke and the College of Charleston – faced a couple of sophomore and junior pitchers in Georgia who could dial it up in the 90s but, overall, he matched up well.

And on the mound, he showcased a submarine delivery which he used occasionally on the high school diamond but which became his ticket to Division I.

“Throwing submarine is unique, something people don’t see a lot of,” said McGrath, who can throw mid 80s with the fastball while mixing in the changeup. “(In Georgia) I went straight sub and that’s what Wake wants me to do. They said they expect me to make a lot of appearances as a specialty pitcher and I think they are projecting me as a fifth infielder.”

This is how Wake Forest saw it while making the announcement that seven players signed their National Letters of Intent  –

Ryan McGrath (3B/RHP): Three-year starter at SS/3B for Newtown High School ... selected to Perfect Game Top Prospect Games team, representing New England ... selected to the all-conference team as a sophomore ... All-League and All-Area as a junior ... member of his high school’s chapters of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honors Society ... ranks in the top-three percent of his class.

“Ryan gives us pitching versatility where he can be used in many roles. He has the capability to function in all roles from being a starter to closing a game.  Ryan is a sidearm thrower on the mound who gives hitters a greater challenge in seeing the ball. Each time we saw Ryan, hitters did not have much success off of him. Ryan will also give us depth in the infield, if needed.  He is capable of changing his arm slot for the infield and gives us options with him both as an infielder and hitter.”

The Demon Deacons finished 33-22 last spring, 16-13 in the ACC, under second-year head coach Rick Rembielak.

“I’m ready for the challenge,” said McGrath, whose father, Matt, was once a youth baseball catcher who played in front of Mike Scioscia, current Anaheim Angels manager, at a City All-Star game in Philadelphia, “but I know there will be a learning curve.”

It is only natural, too, to look beyond college since – let’s face it – the ultimate dream of every young baseball player is to play professional baseball. But Ryan, who is third in his class at Newtown High School and plans on studying pharmaceuticals at Wake Forest, has lots of aspirations.

“I’ve always told myself,” he said, “that if I ever get the opportunity to play pro ball, I would do it for a year. But baseball was a way for me to get into a good institution and I can try and get what I can out of that while developing my baseball skills.”

Coach Strait added, “Ryan knows now what people think about his talent and you will see a lot of confidence out of him this year.”