SWAMPSCOTT — It wasn’t long ago that Ryan January was the talk of the town in Swampscott as he powered the Big Blue baseball team to multiple state tournament appearances and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Fast forward to now and Ryan’s younger brother, Dylan, is making a name for himself in carving his own path on the diamond. Last week, Dylan January, a rising senior at Swampscott, made his future endeavors official when he announced his commitment to play baseball at Division II Franklin Pierce.
“There wasn’t any reason for me not to pick Franklin Pierce,” January, a catcher and three-year varsity player, said. “It’s a great baseball school. They win a lot of games, the coaching staff’s awesome, the facilities are very nice. They take care of their baseball players there. I loved it a lot and it’s the perfect fit for me.”
January weighed his options but a visit to Franklin Pierce’s campus in Rindge, New Hampshire played the final factor in his commitment.
“There were other schools I was looking at,” January said. “I went up to Franklin Pierce a few weeks ago. I really liked the campus and I made my decision.
“I wanted a school that’s constantly competing,” January said. “I get that at Franklin Pierce. I really wanted coches that’ll push me and know the game well , coaches that have a passion for the game. Those were two big things for me in finding the right school.”
As he often does, January made sure to reach out to his older brother for advice.
“Ryan put it mostly on me,” January said. “My family didn’t want to persuade me in any way. I had a lot of freedom in that respect. I made my decision and Ryan’s really happy for me. Everyone in my family’s really supportive of it.”
January had a stellar junior season this past spring. In addition to making positive strides behind the plate, January emerged as one of the top power hitters in the Northeastern Conference. He belted seven home runs and provided stability from the middle of the Big Blue’s batting order.
His efforts helped Swampscott reach the semifinal of the Division 3 North state tournament.
“My approach is if there’s a guy in scoring position, if I’m batting in the No. 3 or No. 4 hole, I want to drive in runs,” January said. “With two strikes, I like to shorten up. If I strikeout, I want to go down swinging. I like to put the ball in play. I like to look for a pitch I’ve seen before in the game, based on how the pitcher’s performing and what the hitters before me have seen.”
Joining January at Franklin Pierce is teammate Nick Reiser, a right-handed pitcher and outfielder who also recently committed to the Ravens. January and Reiser are also teammates on the Swampscott football team.
“Nick’s more than a teammate to me,” January said. “He’s also one of my best friends. We play football together. That’s big for me, having somebody I know in college. I’ve played summer baseball with him. It’s great for me. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Swampscott coach Joe Caponigro feels the Ravens are fortunate to have January and Reiser set to join the program in 2020.
“Dylan’s an excellent receiver behind the plate,” Caponigro said. “He throws the ball well and works very hard defensively. Offensively he hit seven home runs for us, he had a bunch of RBI. He runs very well for a kid his size. He’s very athletic.
“There’s tremendous upside for the both of them,” Caponigro said. “They’ll continue to get stronger. I’m really looking forward to having them this next season. They’re both very coachable kids and very respectful of their teammates, coaching staff and opponents. Players like them make coaching very easy and enjoyable.”
For the next few weeks, January’s focus is on preparing for his senior football season. Swampscott made noise last season in reaching the Division 5 state semifinal.
“I’m really excited for it,” January said. “We have a lot of guys coming back. The coaches do a great job. It’s a great group of guys and we really have a family atmosphere. The team feels confident.”
