Prager 'forever grateful' for A&M ahead of presumed final home start

"Fireball" isn't a relevant descriptor for Ryan Prager's fastball.

Yet, whenever he makes a start, Fireball is prevalent.

A tradition that dates back to his early days at A&M, one passed down by Jacob Palisch's family, Prager's mother, Cori, has some cinnamon whiskey — part superstition and part anxiety combatant.

"From that first game when he got to A&M on, I do a Fireball shot before every one of his starts to just, in my mind, calm my nerves," she said. "Now, everybody who is around me does it. I think Ryan shared it in an interview one time, so now, it is just a thing."

Across four years and three seasons, Ryan has made 47 starts in 49 career appearances for Texas A&M.

On Friday, he'll ascend the hill in the middle of Olsen Field for the 25th time.

Of course, just before he makes that 6 p.m. climb to face Missouri, a toast in Ryan's honor will be raised by his parents, Cori and Howard, his sister, Lexi, and plenty of friends in the Pitcher's Park section of the RV lot beside Blue Bell Park.

It'll likely be the Prager family's final round of Fireball in Aggieland.

"I might need two Fireball shots this day," Cori laughed. "It's going to be surreal."

"Legacy" is a somewhat uncomfortable subject for Ryan Prager.

At 22 years old, he's a young man, though he speaks intelligently with the maturity of a baseball lifer. Even in a baseball sense, there's a lot of life left in his left arm.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Ryan Prager pitched at the MCWS as a true freshman in 2022. His battery mate was Troy Claunch, and both of them graduated from Texas A&M this week.

"The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear 'legacy' is leaving a place better than you found it, and I think that's just part of being somewhere and truly enjoying it," Ryan said. "I hope it is something that I can look back on after being here and being like, 'Hey, watching Aggie baseball for the last 20 years has been outstanding.'"

That his legacy is even being discussed in May of 2025 would have been shocking last July.

Remember, the Los Angeles Angels selected him in the third round, 81st overall, in the 2024 MLB Draft.

One pick earlier (St. Louis) or one later (New York Mets), he's probably not even in Maroon & White right now.

Yet, instead of beginning his professional career, he returned for his redshirt junior season at A&M.

"It just wasn't necessarily the right situation at the right time," Ryan said. "The world works in mysterious ways. It just wasn't the right pieces put together.

"It was real easy to stick to what I believed in and be able to come back and have comfort in my decision because of what A&M has done for me and what it's meant to me."

The slot value of the 81st pick in last year's draft was $948,000, but it was never about the money.

It was about fit and timing, which is no different than when he chose A&M over the other big schools in the region out of Hillcrest High School in Dallas.

"I knew nothing about this place growing up," Ryan said. "Once I got here, it swept me away, and it was a place that welcomed me with open arms and a place that has had a huge impact, not only on my life but also, the life of my family. It's something I'm forever grateful for."

Undrafted as a prep player in 2021, he's a bridge from the days of Rob Childress through Jim Schlossnagle's infamously successful yet short stint to the budding Michael Earley era.

He credits Childress and Justin Seely with introducing him to Texas A&M, and as a college player, he transformed into a professional prospect under the pitching tutelage of Nate Yeskie, Max Weiner and now Jason Kelly.

"How he has matured and learned and developed himself in that time came from a lot of different places," Cori said. "It came from having three different pitching coaches in four years. It came from learning from older players. It came from being highly successful last year and having to make a really tough decision about signing with the Angels or coming back to A&M, and we really let him make those choices.

"My biggest thing is I watched him turn into such a fine young man, a good human, not just a ballplayer, and I think he learned from every step he took in these four years. No matter good or bad results-wise, he will feel like he accomplished what he set out for."

He’s also very accomplished. Across four years, Ryan has accumulated credentials that will eventually land him in Texas A&M's Athletic Hall of Fame.

On March 7, 2025, he fanned New Mexico State's Jonatan Clough to become the 21st member of A&M's 200-strikeout club, and his 236 career punchouts rank 13th on the program's all-time list.

He's also among the select quartet of A&M players to appear in multiple Men's College World Series, along with Chris Cortez, Ryan Targac and Brad Rudis.

After pitching in both of A&M's Omaha losses to Oklahoma in 2022 and a year of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, he triumphantly returned to the mound at Charles Schwab Field and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning vs. Kentucky on June 17, 2024.

"What I'm really looking forward to is seeing the 12th Man rally behind him and appreciate him for all he's done at Blue Bell Park," Howard Prager said. "It just kind of takes me back to Kentucky last year in the World Series. I was sitting by myself, and then to watch 20,000 people, whether you were wearing blue or maroon, appreciate the work that Ryan did on that day."

What should have been a legacy-defining win over the Wildcats wasn't the end of Ryan's Aggie story.

Jamie Maury

On June 17, 2024, Ryan Prager tossed 6.2 scoreless innings while walking one batter and allowing just two hits in a 5-1 win over Kentucky.

He finished 2024 with 124 strikeouts against 20 walks in 97.2 innings while owning a 2.95 ERA.

Despite owning all-conference and All-American accolades, he became the only collegiate selection in the first 15 rounds to not sign a professional contract.

"Ryan's really big on trust, and he's really big on support," Cori said. "I was nervous for him, and I was really proud that he was confident enough to make that type of decision and bet on himself. I was mostly proud once we got through it all.

"He sticks to his guns. He knew coming back this year that it may not be as good as last year. He knew that, and he was in for whatever the year brought him."

Part of his return at A&M was to tend to unfinished business after falling short of a national title last summer.

Finishing his degree was another goal, which Ryan accomplished this week.

In a Wednesday speech to his fellow student-athlete graduates, his message was simple yet meaningful:

Being an Aggie isn't just about four years. It's about 40.

"When he leaves, when somebody else may be wearing No. 18, they're going to think of Ryan Prager," said Howard, a former Astros and Cardinals farm hand. "He had a very good plan going into this year of development and to finish his degree, and he has done both. ... We've always talked about how you can't play this game forever and you have to have a plan B, so that was always important to him, and that really means a lot to him."

Back for a second consecutive Opening Day start, it's no secret 2025 hasn't gone according to plan...for him or anyone inside the program.

With six games to play, the Aggies are currently fighting for a spot in the postseason. All too often this season, Ryan has found himself fighting to stay in showdowns vs. other SEC aces.

Currently, he's 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA and just 59 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.

Then, last week vs. then-No. 2 LSU, he reminded everyone of his brilliance, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball while earning his first SEC victory of 2025.

"It's not always a straight line of growth, and that's kind of how I describe 2025," Ryan said. "What I'm excited for is, I think, our best days are ahead of us. If you would tell me that you'd be a little up and down throughout the year, but you'd have a chance to be in the postseason with your best stuff, I'd take that 100 out of 100 times."

More vintage Ryan Prager performances will be required for A&M to reach its goals, though the 2025 road to Omaha probably won't go through College Station.

That said, it's highly unlikely he'll toe the rubber in Aggieland ever again beyond Friday night...but not impossible.

"From the support that you feel that you have to how fun it is to pitch at Olsen Field, it's incredible," Ryan said. "I really hope it's not the last time. I've seen some funny things with regionals and super regionals."

If he finds himself back on the familiar Blue Bell mound again, shots of Fireball certainly won't be far away.