Dexter BB has just one senior, but my, is he an impressive one overall

Dexter High School senior hitter Ryan Young swings at a pitch against Notre Dame on Friday in the opening round of the SEMO Conference Baseball Tournament at Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

There will be no shortage of talented baseball players who compete in this weekend’s SEMO Conference Tournament in Cape Girardeau. However, one would be pretty hard-pressed to find a more impressive young man – off the diamond – than Dexter High School senior Ryan Young.

“He’s super intelligent,” second-year Bearcat coach Steve Edwards said. “He is very analytical. He is just a great, first-class person.”

And he’s a pretty good player, as well.

In Friday’s thrilling 9-8 win at Notre Dame High School, which put Dexter in a championship semifinal for the first time since 2012, Young connected for a hit, scored two runs, walked twice, stole a base, and took a Bulldog pitch to the ribs to get on base.

“Ryan is an amazing person, overall,” Edwards continued, “and he’s a heck of an athlete.”

Edwards utilizes Young’s speed in the No. 2 hole, as well as in the outfield, defensively. However, Young isn’t second to anyone when it comes to focus and maturity in eyeing his future.

“I’m going to Arkansas State and major in economics,” Young said of next fall.

Dexter High School senior Ryan Young leads off of first base on Friday in the opening round of the SEMO Conference Baseball Tournament against Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau. (Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com)

He chose economics because it evolves into the pre-law program at Arkansas State, which intrigues Young.

“I want to be a real estate attorney,” Young explained. “I’ve just had an interest in real estate.”

Ok, then.

Don’t question Young’s vision for his future because his present has proven that when he sets his mind to something, he achieves it.

He was an Academic All-American wrestler this past winter (as well as Academic All-State) and his grade point average is higher than the perfect 4.0/4.0 scale.

Young was awarded the Most Aggressive and Most Valuable Wrestler Awards this winter, as well as being designated as a Character and Leadership All-American and a Scholar Classroom All-American.

“Ryan is a person that it doesn’t matter if he is on an athletic field or if he is wrestling,” Edwards explained, “if he is in the classroom or if he is a business leader someday, he is going to be a person that people look at as successful.

“People are going to emulate him.”

They already are.

Young is the only senior on the Bearcat roster, but Edwards couldn’t have asked for a better leader from his one veteran than he has.

“He has been such a role model for everybody,” Edwards said, “and especially the young freshmen.”

Dexter has an incredibly young roster (12 freshmen and sophomores), and Edwards said that Young has acted as a coach on the field for many of those young athletes.

“They look up to him,” Edwards said. “They ask him questions. A lot of time I’ll be standing on the (dugout) rail, and I’ll see Ryan talking to them.

“It is really exciting to see his maturity level and how he is passing it down to other guys.”

The Bearcats (10-8) will face Poplar Bluff (16-8) today at 4 p.m. at Whitey Herzog Field in Jackson in that championship semifinal.