This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Transplanting a teenager from Southern California to Utah, with the climate change and challenge of finding a new set of friends, can be fraught with uncertainty.

But Ryan Brady had some things going for him when his family moved to Park City almost three years ago.

For one, Brady already had a familiarity with the region and a love of the area's favorite pastime — skiing.

Another asset when it came time to integrate with his new teammates on the Park City baseball team was a couple of really wicked pitches for a high school sophomore.

"I had been visiting Park City for 10 years, about once a year, coming to ski and then hang out in the summer," said Brady, who moved from Aliso Viejo, a city in Orange County. "Of course I was bummed about leaving my friends behind, but I knew that Park City was where I was going to live.

"I didn't know anybody on the baseball team or anyone at the school. But I feel like in the last couple of years I've grown closer to these guys than I ever was to my friends in California."

Brady has assimilated well to Utah. He's even developed a seasonal routine that incorporates plenty of skiing before he goes all in for baseball.

"I get to go skiing early in the season. In November and December, maybe the first week of January, I probably went 20 times," Brady said. "Since then, I've went maybe three.

"You go a bunch of times, then you're ready for baseball season."

On the diamond, the Miners are 14-3 overall with a 7-1 league record that puts them in a first-place tie with Stansbury. Brady, who will pitch at BYU, is a big reason for the Miners' success. His efforts have included a no-hitter against Grantsville, a 12-strikeout performance in five innings against Tooele and a barely visible 0.17 ERA.

"Two main focuses, I would say, are keeping the ball down in the zone and get ahead of the batter." Brady said. "I've been focusing a lot on getting the first batter of the inning. When the first batter gets on base, about 60 percent of the time they're going to score."

And Brady is Park City's regular shortstop when he's not on the mound.

"My favorite part of Ryan is that he shows up every day and wants to get better," said David Feasler, Park City's first-year coach. "He's already great, but he wants to learn. He's one of the best teammates I've ever seen at the high school level."

But on the mound is where Brady dominates.

"He's right around 90 to 92 [mph] with the fastball with a lot of good action," Feasler said. "He's also got great command with the fastball, and he pitches off it really well. He throws a breaking ball that's an out pitch — a strikeout pitch."

Brady's plan is to play one year as a freshman at BYU then go on a church mission before returning to finish his collegiate playing days.

From that to his correct pronunciation of Utah town names, Brady fits right in.

"I have grandparents who spend months in Hurricane [in the winter]. They would come down from Boise and I would visit them," Brady said. "So when I say 'Hurri-cane,' they quickly say 'No, it's Hurri-cun.' " —

Ryan Brady

Year • Senior

School • Park City

Position • Pitcher/shortstop

Pitching record • 4-1

ERA • 0.17

IP • 411⁄3

Ks • 67

BBs • 8