“Ryan Gusto got cut 3 out of 4 years in high school.
But no one expected what happened next.
"It was just kinda like, alright, well that stings, but I’m not gonna stop playing baseball."
So he started researching JUCO programs in Florida & emailing coaches.
Most didn’t respond.
And those who did told him he didn’t throw hard enough to play for them.
One day, Ryan came across a particular coach whose bio struck a chord: then-Broward College head coach Ben Bizier.
“I emailed this coach way too many times,” he said.
“Bugged him, as he would later tell me…[I] just pushed my way in.”
Finally, Bizier caved and told Ryan he could fly down for a showcase.
Out of 60 kids, Ryan "did not stick out all that much."
But the coach saw enough to offer Gusto an opportunity to walk on at Broward.
Ryan accepted on the spot.
“Whoa! OK, no talking to his family, just instant ‘yes.’ This was actually concerning,” Bizier wrote.
“Who on earth is this guy?!?”
Ryan came clean and told Bizier he’d gotten cut from his varsity team and, in the same breath, said he wanted to come to Florida to help Broward win a championship.
“No lie he said that,” Bizier recalled.
In the fall, Ryan stepped on campus throwing 84 mph as a college freshman.
While the physical reality was average, Gusto carried himself with an almost irrational confidence.
“This kid Gusto throws 80-poo but swears no one can touch his shit,” Broward’s team captain said at the time.
But Ryan tuned it out, kept his head down, and got to work.
After barely making the roster as the 12th of 12 pitchers, Gusto worked his way into a bullpen role.
The next season, he followed his coach to Florida SouthWestern.
With 110 strikeouts through 75 innings and a 2.88 ERA, he led FSW to a conference championship.
He earned Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
“I went from finishing my freshman year, I was like, ‘Cool, I can play baseball now,’ to, like, holy…I might get drafted.”
In June of 2019, Ryan Gusto was drafted in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.
They called him up to the majors for the final game of 2024, but it got rained out.
This season, Ryan hopes to finally make his MLB debut.”
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