Senior Ryan Tomlinson has been playing baseball since he was four years old.  He is a pitcher for the varsity baseball team and has been since his sophomore year. “I love being on the mound in control of everything, because I love the outcome of the game resting on my shoulders,” he said.

Last season he was forced to sit out the entire regular season of his favorite game due to his arm. He needs Tommy John surgery, which is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the elbow is replaced by a tendon from somewhere else in the body, but he does not plan on having the surgery.  Tomlinson was forced to sit out most of the regular season due to his condition. “It was extremely hard to be sitting in the dugout and not being able to get out there and contribute to the great year we were having,” he said.  Many people thought he would be out for the season, but Tomlinson fought back when he closed the game at Hooker field that sent the baseball team to the state championship last year.

Not only is Tomlinson passionate about baseball, but he is also passionate about Tunstall itself.  Tomlinson is a member of the bleacher creatures, which is the student section at basketball games.  He never misses a game unless it is completely necessary. “I love the hype atmosphere, supporting our school, and seeing our school succeed,” he said. Other hobbies that Tomlinson enjoys are playing golf with his buddies and also playing basketball.  During his spare time he lifts weights and trains for baseball. Tomlinson spends some of his time landscaping and working on houses for a man who has rental property.  Recently he had to cut back on working and focus more on baseball for the upcoming season.

Although Tomlinson had a hard time with his arm last year, he still plans to pitch this upcoming season.  He conditions with his team three days a week and will continue to until tryouts in February.  “I think we will have a good team because we have a talented squad and we have lots of experience in big games,” he said.  The varsity baseball team has won four state championships and Tomlinson hopes to achieve a fifth win. “If you’re not striving to win the big game, you’re doing it all wrong,” he said.

After graduating, Tomlinson plans to attend DCC for two years and then transfer to a university. He hopes to study and become an athletic trainer.  “I want try to help kids with their dream of playing college sports injure free and help them reach their goals,” he said.