Ryan Uhl returns to his alma mater after spending two years in the Seattle Mariners organization. Uhl will join the Crimson Hawks coaching staff and will serve as a volunteer student assistant coach. He will work with the IUP infielders, offense and assist with all recruiting efforts.
Uhl, who was a 7th round draft pick in the Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft in June 2015, spent two seasons with the Mariners organization. In his first professional season, he was assigned to Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League (Short-Season A), where he hit .259, with four home runs and 15 doubles. After his first season, he was forced to have a back procedure done and spent the 2016 season in the Arizona League (Rookie League), while only accumulating 22 at-bats before the injury sidelined him again. Uhl was forced to retire from professional baseball after the second procedure.
During his time at IUP as a student-athlete, Uhl put together one of the most impressive single seasons in all of Division I, III and III. During his senior year, Uhl lead the country in home runs (29 in 44 games, 4.89 at-bats per home run), home runs per game (0.66), slugging percentage (1.085) and runs batted in per game (1.68, 74 in 44 games).
His name appears in the IUP record book top 10 in many single season and career records, including:
Career At-Bats (525) – 5th
Single Season Runs Scored (53) – 5th
Career Runs Scored (126) – 6th
Career Hits (177) – 7th
Career Doubles (36) – 5th
Single Season Home Runs (29) – 1st
Career Home Runs (42) – 1st
Single Season Runs Batted In (74) – 1st
Career Runs Batted In (147) – 3rd
Single Season Total Bases (154) – 1st
Career Total Bases (339) – 3rd
Single Season Slugging Percentage (1.085) – 1st
Career Slugging Percentage (.646) – 1st
Single Season Walks (33) – 2nd
Career Walks (70) – 8th
Uhl will graduate in December 2017 with a bachelors in Finance before staying on as a volunteer assistant coach for the spring 2018 season.
