Julio Ramos
DUNMORE, PA – As the country looks for ways to bounce back, recover and protect themselves from the current pandemic, Penn State Scranton and the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) have been honoring the senior student-athletes whose seasons were cut short or cancelled completely. Each senior athlete spent hours practicing and preparing for their seasons in hopes of going out on top to conclude their college careers both in the classroom and on the field. Each athlete followed their own paths to get to this point of their careers, some traditional and some non-traditional.
This week’s Penn State Scranton player of the week, Julio Ramos followed a path that led him to reconnecting to the game of baseball in his junior year. Ramos graduated from Dunmore High School in Dunmore, PA and is a business major at Penn State Scranton. When asked what brought him back to the game he once loved, he replied, “I used to play when I was younger and when I got to Penn State I wanted to play but I never had the time to juggle school, work and sports. But as I went through college I realized how much I missed playing it.” Ramos continued, “I realized I only had so many more opportunities at playing an athletic sport during my academic years so I decided to come out and play.”
This rekindled love for the game led Julio to returning for one last chance to go out on top as a senior in 2020. Although, not being known as a flashy player, Julio exhibited qualities and traits that impressed the new coaching staff, ultimately leading to being named a 2020 team captain of the baseball team. Head Coach, Vito Ruggiero spoke of these qualities when asked what led to his decision to saddle Ramos with this responsibility going into his first year at the helm of the program. He said of Julio, “a dedicated, hard worker, he won’t quit until he gets it right. He will out-work anyone.” Knowing how hard he works at practice to get better and working tirelessly to help the teammates around him improve in all aspects of the game Ramos was in a state of disbelief when his teammates congratulated him on his new team title. “That’s actually funny. I wasn’t there for that practice because I was attending something for work out of town. And when Cory and a couple other guys were like “congrats on being a captain” I thought they were just joking.” This became a reality shortly after when Coach Vito contacted Ramos to officially name him a captain and team leader for the season. “Once coach texted me I knew it was serious. I felt really honored to be chosen because it showed that both the players and coaches realized how hard I was working and they could trust me with leading the team and making sure we were going to be ready each practice to work hard.”
Had the season been played, Coach Vito looked to Julio to, "demonstrate leadership. How to carry yourself on and off the field. How to take pride in what you set out to do regardless of the road blocks that get in your way.” These leadership qualities have also led Ramos through his academic career as his hard work earned him Dean’s List and PSUAC All-Academic team honors. Much like his message to his other departing senior captain, Coach Vito’s message to Julio post-graduation is this, “I am and will always be here for him. Whatever and whenever he would need anything, just call. He has developed into a fine young man and has really set the foundation for the rest of his life.” Following graduation, Julio looks to find a career at a marketing firm or to find work as a management trainee. The future is bright for this senior and we here at Penn State Scranton wish Julio and the rest of our seniors, the best of luck in the future!
To see the PSUAC Senior Spotlight on Julio visit: https://www.psuacsports.com/aotw/2020_Senior_Spotlights/2020_Senior_Spotlight_Julio_Ramos
