After Ryan Long PO ’21 was drafted to the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2021, he ascended the ranks of professional baseball, becoming the third Pomona-Pitzer baseball alumnus to reach the Triple-A level. With this ascendence came the honor of representing Great Britain across two World Baseball Classics (WBC).
In an exclusive interview with The Student Life, Long spoke about his life and baseball trajectory since 2023, from striking out two-time all-star Randy Arozarena at the WBC to inching closer toward a position on an MLB roster.
This conversation has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.
The Student Life: It’s been three years since your first story with The Student Life. Since then, a lot has happened. Tell me about your career and life since then, from things that may have changed to new things you learned about yourself and baseball.
Ryan Long: Since 2023, when the last World Baseball Classic was held, I’ve moved up a few levels. I’ve been playing minor league baseball ever since. I’ve generally been in Double-A since then. Had a couple of stints up in Triple-A with the Norfolk Tides, under the Baltimore Orioles. But again, I’ve generally been in Double-A in Maryland with the Chesapeake Baysox.
In terms of my overall baseball career, there have been ups and downs, but I’ve developed a lot as a pitcher. This past year, I started transitioning from a starter to a reliever. I continued that into this year, and now I’m a full-time reliever, which has been an interesting change, but I think, generally, a good one.
Outside of that, I’ve been a pretty active member of the Major League Baseball Players Association. I’m one of four minor league executive board members. I’ve been very involved in that for the past three years. I think the work I do for that, and my role in that, is a big part of my baseball self.
TSL: I’ll get into the WBC, because it’s very timely and just ended. This was your second appearance, and you again represented Great Britain. Tell me a little bit more about that second experience from the first time that you represented Great Britain. Did anything change, including maybe some of the nerves, excitement or even goals that shifted between the first and the second time?
RL: The first time, everything was really eye-opening for me. It was the first time I’d ever played on a major league field. It was a bunch of guys I had never met before. It was the first time Great Britain had ever played in the World Baseball Classic. So, it was all really new to all of us, including me. For me, on the pitching side, I went into it really wide-eyed, and I had a great experience. But again, I was a low-A pitcher at that time, and everything felt so big. All the hitters I was facing felt so far away, so much better than me.
I think this year was different in a sense. First, on an individual level, I’ve faced some pretty high-level hitters since then, and I’ve gotten more confident as a pitcher. I went into it a lot more confident, knowing that I can get any hitter out, knowing that I belong on a stage like that. It was also now the second time I played on a major league field.
We had higher expectations for ourselves this year. We knew we were a better team. I played with a lot of those guys last time. So while we ended up with the same record as in 2023, I think our team was a lot better. We showed that we were stronger. We played all four games really competitively. We held three really, really good teams fairly close in games for a while. While we finished with the same record, I think our overall showing was better. We qualified for the next WBC, and I think we’re well set up going into that, as well as other international tournaments this year and next.
TSL: I want to ask you about one of those games; it’s versus Mexico. It was quite a close game until the late innings, and you also held a scoreless inning yourself, striking out some stars from the MLB. I want to know what your emotions were, the pressures you felt while warming up and how you calmed yourself to have a poised inning.
RL: I’ll start broadly. I think the World Baseball Classic is such a great event. It showcases the best of baseball, brings tons of amazing fans from all these countries, and shows how baseball is played and celebrated differently across the globe.
That game against Mexico was loud; it wasn’t a full stadium, but you know, the Mexico fans are loud and in force. And [there was] a really great following of Great Britain fans, too. You know, frankly, I don’t think I did a great job before the game or before going in … I think I was a little too amped up. I threw the hardest pitch I’ve ever thrown in my life — my first pitch — and it was about three feet over the catcher’s head. It was nowhere near where I wanted to go.
I ended up walking the first batter and hitting the second. So I definitely spiraled for a little bit at the start, but I was able to trust myself after that. I have a splitter. It’s probably my best pitch. And, my fastball, I was throwing it hard but wasn’t locating it exactly how I wanted to. So I went to that splitter and really just started trusting it and it ended up working out. I got Randy Arozarena out on a 3-2 splitter and that’s when I really went, “Okay, I’m really in control of this inning now and I can get out of it.”
TSL: Let’s pivot to life in Double-A and Triple-A over the past two years, but specifically this past year, 2025, [where] you did quite well in your appearances. You made a lot of them, your ERA went down by a full point from 2024. I’m just really curious to know what your season looks like in 2026: whether you’re looking to break into Triple-A and get a few more appearances, or if most things will look the same for you.
RL: Last year, overall, felt like it was a solid year. There were ups and downs. I felt like I started out really strong, but then I had a couple of months when things just weren’t going well. I wasn’t pitching my best; just wasn’t having the success I wanted. But I was able to turn that around throughout the middle part of the season, and I ended up with a fairly strong season in some respects.
This year, I’m starting the year back out of Double-A with the Chesapeake Baysox. My main goal for the start of the season is to make it to Triple-A and stay there, since I had a couple of appearances there in the past two seasons. But the goal is to be officially promoted and make it there, hopefully as soon as possible. That’s where my head is at right now.
“I want to hopefully push for a major league roster spot this year. Our team [Baltimore Orioles] is really good, and it’s going to be really hard, but that’s my goal. The first step is to make it up to Triple-A.”
I want to hopefully push for a major league roster spot this year. Our team [Baltimore Orioles] is really good, and it’s going to be really hard, but that’s my goal. The first step is to make it up to Triple-A. There’s a lot of uncertainty that goes into a major league and a minor league season. A lot depends on injuries and the success of the major league team, but that’s generally where my head is at right now.
TSL: Lastly, a question that remains is your ultimate goal, and you hinted that it’s reaching the MLB. How have you grown into achieving that goal? How close do you think you’ve gotten? And if you want to make a maybe safe prediction, I would love to know when you’re gauging for that milestone to be achieved.
RL: I will say, before that, I have multiple goals in life. [The MLB] is my baseball goal, right? As a minor league baseball player, your goal is to make the major leagues. And that’s been the goal this whole time. It feels closer now than it has in the past.
My goal, it might be ambitious, but it’s [to make it] this year. How plausible that is, I’m not sure. There are many factors beyond my control. There are things that could go my way or could go against me. All I can control is pitching as well as I can, and keep making improvements on myself as a pitcher, keep really commanding my arsenal — my fastball, my splitter and my slider — keep getting guys out. And I think if I’m able to do that, I’ll put myself in a good position.
But I have other goals outside of life, like whenever I’m done with baseball, I hope and plan to attend law school. That’s a life goal I have. Even if I have a long baseball career, I still have time afterward to pursue another career.
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