By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Reagan Ramage said she started receiving “introductory” phone calls from college golf coaches on June 15, the first day that NCAA members were permitted to contact high school prospects in that sport.
There’s a good chance those recruiting calls will increase after college coaches find out that Ramage qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship that’s set for Aug. 7-13 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.
Cooper junior golfer Reagan Ramage hits an approach shot during the U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying tournament in Ohio. (Photo by Ron Alvey)
The Cooper High School junior was co-medalist in a qualifying tournament held last Thursday at Walnut Grove Country Club in Ohio. She carded a 2-under 70 with birdies on the final two holes lifting her to the top of the leaderboard.
“I was 1-under going into 15 and barely missed par on a putt that lipped out, and then I birdied 17 and 18 to finish at 2-under,” Ramage said.
The other medalist was Gabby Woods, a senior on the Findlay College of Ohio team that won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2022. The other three golfers who qualified for the Amateur were also older than Ramage.
“At the start to this summer,” she said, “it almost seemed like every time I played something would work and something else wouldn’t — like my approach shots would be good and my putting wouldn’t be. That day was the first time everything just clicked and went well for me.”
There were 25 U.S. Amateur qualifying tournaments across the nation. The field of 156 golfers will also include qualifiers from other countries. Last year’s winner was Saki Baba, 17, of Japan.
After two days of stroke play, the top 64 golfers on the leaderboard will compete in match play to determine the tournament champion. All of the match play rounds will be nationally televised on The Golf Channel.
Reagan Ramage
Ramage, who works on all facets of her game at Stephens Golf Center in Burlington, will play in another international tournament July 27-29 when she competes in the girls 15-18 age group at the World Teen Championships at Pinehurst Country Club in North Carolina.
That means the Cooper girls golf team will have to play two of its first three high school tournaments without their leader in the lineup. Last year, she was medalist in the Region 7 tournament and tied for fifth place in the state tournament.
“I am excited to get the high school season started,” Ramage said. “As a team, we have a great chance to win state and I want to win the individual title.”
That will be her main focus after she returns from the U.S. Women’s Amateur. If she plays well there, more college coaches will be looking to recruit her during her junior season.
“I would love to make a (college) decision at least toward the end of my junior year,” she said. “If that doesn’t happen, I’m not really too concerned about it, but my goal is to make a decision by February or March.”
CovCath catcher will receive Johnny Bench Award on Tuesday
Jonathan Fitz of Covington Catholic will receive an award for being named the top catcher in Kentucky high school baseball last season during the Johnny Bench Awards luncheon on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
Jonathan Fitz
With the assistance of the Cincinnati Reds scouting department, a committee selects the top catchers in high school baseball and softball in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia to receive awards. The top catchers in Division I college baseball and softball will also be recognized at the banquet.
Fitz was voted first-team all-state by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association after his senior season. In addition to guiding a young CovCath pitching staff from behind the plate, he finished with a .511 batting average that ranked 14th in statewide statistics. He also had 19 doubles that ranked third in the state.
The award-winning catcher was recruited by University of San Diego, a team that won the West Coast Conference championship in 2022 and lost in the first round of this year’s tournament to finish with a 25-25-1 record.
Ryle basketball player has multiple college scholarship offers
Ryle basketball player Sarah Baker continues to receive scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs while playing for the West Virginia Thunder club team during the summer.
Sarah Baker
Illinois State is the latest women’s team to make an offer, according to Baker’s posts on Twitter. The other colleges recruiting the 6-foot-2 power forward are Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Chattanooga, Delaware, Kent State, UNC-Wilmington and Wright State.
Baker has played in 118 varsity games for Ryle over the last four years. She’ll enter her senior season with career totals of 928 points and 622 rebounds. Last season, she averaged 11 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Raiders, who lost in the 9th Region championship game and finished with a 24-9 record.
Baker’s senior teammate, Quinn Eubank, made a commitment with Belmont University last month. This is the fifth time in the last six years that Ryle girls basketball players have been recruited by NCAA Division I programs.
