Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for April 20, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 9:33 PM

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Trib HSSN baseball player of the week: Ryan Lafferty

School: Plum

Class: Junior

Position: Center field

#Earned: It was a perfect week for the Plum baseball team and outfielder Ryan Lafferty. You don’t have to be a math wizard to know batting 7 for 7 over three games is pretty good. In the first game of a section series against rival Penn Hills, Lafferty was 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs as Plum won 8-2. In the second game of the series on Tuesday, the junior center fielder was 2 for 2 with two runs scored, two more RBIs and an inside-the-park home run in the Mustangs’ 15-0 rout. Finally on Thursday in an impressive 3-1 nonsection victory over Class 3A top-ranked Avonworth, Lafferty finished 2 for 2 with a solo home run.

Background: Lafferty would like to continue his baseball career in college after he graduates from Plum next year. He played football when he was younger before giving it up in middle school. He also played basketball as a youth and continued playing in his freshman and sophomore years, but he walked away following some on-court injuries and the desire to focus on baseball. It has paid off as Lafferty is batting .643 this season with six runs scored, seven RBIs, a double, a triple and two home runs. Before high school, Lafferty had always been a middle infielder, but thanks to his speed, he was moved to center field and has enjoyed the transition. When the topic of his teammates came up, Lafferty claims senior infielder Jake Dombkowski is the funniest, sophomore Andrew Monaco is the quietest and sophomore Max Vollmer is the loudest. Ryan enjoys listening to rock music, and his favorite big events to watch are March Madness, the NFL and MLB.

What coach says: “He hit the ball hard in both games,” Plum head coach Carl Vollmer said about Lafferty’s performance against Penn Hills. “In his first at-bat in Game 2, his timing was early, but he kept his barrel in the zone long enough to hit the ball hard to left-center. It was an impressive swing.

“He hit a line drive to right field later in that game on a pitch away,” Vollmer said of his home run against Avonworth. “That is a sign that someone is locked in.

“Ryan’s demeanor,” Vollmer said of Lafferty’s strongest attribute. “He doesn’t get too worked up or too down. Like most players, they become more mature mentally and have a better understanding of what is important and what to stay away from. Ryan worked hard in the offseason. He gets a lot of offensive work in, and he did a significant amount of running work.”

“There is always an adjustment period,” Vollmer said of the transition from infield to outfield. “But Ryan is a really good athlete with speed and works hard every day. He will continue to grow.”

2025 Trib HSSN Baseball Players of the Week

Week 2 — Mason Metz, Avonworth

Week 1 — Eli Graff, Thomas Jefferson

Tags: Plum