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Syracuse was missing a key contributor when it took the field in its regular season opener against IUPUI on Feb. 10. Neli Casares-Maher, who had started the last 123 straight games at shortstop, graduated after a five-year collegiate career. Instead, freshman Ryan Starr jogged out to the position, breaking the streak of over three years.

“(Casares-Maher) was really an amazing player and had a great reputation. Pretty big shoes to fill in there, but I’m pretty confident and excited to follow after her,” Starr said.

Starr is part of the 10-woman 2022 recruiting class for Syracuse. In her senior year as starting varsity shortstop for Massapequa High School, Starr batted .562 with a .623 OBP and led the Chiefs in singles, doubles, triples, RBIs, runs scored, walks and steals in the regular season. She led Massapequa to its first Long Island championship in 2022, also advancing to the state tournament semifinals.

Starr first picked up a baseball at 4 years old. From Long Island, she grew her love for the game by watching Yankees’ hall-of-fame shortstop Derek Jeter, even wearing the No. 2 when she first played.

“She would watch (Jeter) on TV when she was really tiny, around five, and she would just emulate the things that he did,” said Angela Starr, Ryan’s mother. “She just always had really impressive defensive glove skills, even as a little one.” Three years later, Starr started softball.

In the summer following her freshman year, Starr competed in a tournament in Florida with Team Long Island, a premiere travel team in her hometown. Her parents noticed college coaches on another field flooding around Team North Carolina. Angela reached out, asking if Starr could try out for them. After making a good impression at a camp, Team NC coach Nate Eaton offered Starr a spot with one condition.

“With her size and her speed, she needs to [bat] on the left side. She needs to be a slapper,” Eaton said.

Most collegiate softball players have hit from the same side of the plate since they were toddlers. Starr, a natural right-handed hitter, would be forced to switch sides.

Though difficult at first, Starr adapted to her new role within a few months. With Eaton’s help, Starr traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to begin lefty-hitting training with Tennessee assistant coach India Chiles in February 2020. Chiles was a teammate of Syracuse head coach Shannon Doepking during their playing days for the Volunteers and was known as one of the game’s best slappers. Starr also returned to Mount Vernon, New York, to get hitting lessons from softball coach Rob Crews.

But, the pandemic hit, and traveling for lessons became an issue. Starr’s father would take Ryan to practice at nearby fields, but after the neighbors continuously called the police on them, her family had to get creative. Since their attic had 12-foot ceilings, Angela bought a pitching machine.

“We ordered this machine and we got this ginormous net. A lot of lights got broken when they would hit,” Angela said.

Rapid fire off the machine!! Ready to get back on a field with @TeamNCEaton. Soon! pic.twitter.com/uMKk1LYIuS

— Ryan Starr (@ryanstarr2022) May 17, 2020

In spring 2020, Starr tweeted a video of her practicing fielding in her attic, and it went viral. Soon after, Starr started to get noticed by college coaches. She wasn’t the biggest prospect, but her defensive skills made her stand out.

Starr would travel down to North Carolina from May until August for her sophomore to senior seasons. Her versatility allowed for playing time at eight different positions on a team filled with highly-touted prospects. While her left-side hitting continued to improve, Eaton knew what he was getting in Starr’s fielding ability.

“Her biggest strength is her glove, defense and speed,” Eaton said. “She was probably one of the best defensive players I ever had. Just very, very smooth.”

Starr returned home to Massapequa for her junior season in 2021, when she helped the Chiefs secure their first county championship in school history.

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But Massapequa fell short of achieving another milestone, losing in the Long Island championship. The following year, Starr batted over .500 in the regular season and led the Chiefs in almost every offensive statistic. After advancing back to the Long Island championship game, Massapequa dominated Bay Shore 13-2, winning its first LI Class AA title.

In three state tournament games, Starr hit .700, with six runs scored, four RBIs and two stolen bases. The Chiefs advanced to the state semifinals, where they lost to Liverpool.

“She was hitting well. Her fielding was great. It was super exciting for her,” said Kevin Starr, Ryan’s father.

Starr wrapped up her travel ball career last summer, finishing her second full season with Team NC. Just before Starr left, Eaton sent one last text to Starr’s future college coach.

“Hey, Shannon. I want you to know that you’re getting something very special in Ryan Starr. I would bet she’ll be the best shortstop in the ACC by her sophomore year. Her hitting has gotten really good as well. My work here is done and now she’s all yours,” the text read.

Published on March 5, 2023 at 9:34 pm