Graduation Sport Type

1996 Baseball Athlete

Ralph Vasami, a Class of 1996 graduate, put together an impressive baseball career at Rye Neck High School. Vasami was a 4-year starting catcher, a team leader, broke school records, and was recognized within the community for his athletic efforts on the baseball diamond. 

The Captain of the 1996 Rye Neck Panthers smashed 142 hits during his career, a school record until Michael Dearwester broke Vasami’s career mark by just 14 hits in 2006. In addition to the all-time hits record, Vasami finished his Rye Neck career holding the single-season hit record with 44 hits in 1993, and career RBI record with 117 (broken by his brother Greg in 2005), and is still 2nd in those three categories today. Vasami smashed - and still holds - the school record for career batting average, hitting .493 during his career, beating the previous record of .456 by fellow Hall of Famer Chuck Taylor. In 288 at-bats over his 4-year career Vasami only struck out 12 times.  

Vasami won two league, one sectional, and one regional championship, and received many accolades for his accomplishments on the baseball field. He was the MVP of the Panthers’ League, Sectional and Regional Championship (State Final Four) team as a freshman in 1993. Was a three-time All-Section player (1994, ‘95, ‘96) and four-time All-League player (1993, ‘94, ‘95, ‘96). At the end of his senior year in 1996, Vasami was named an A.B.C.A. All-American, was selected All-Region, made the All District-1 Baseball Team, was elected to the All-NY State Baseball team, was a recipient of the ConEd Award, the Diamond Nine award and the Old Timers Award.  Vasami was named to the Gannett (LoHud) Newspaper’s 1st Team in 1996, and 2nd team after his junior year in 1995 (when he was 2nd in Section 1 in batting), and was a two-time Team MVP (1993 & 1996). 

In addition to his success on the baseball field, Vasami was a member of the Varsity Soccer team, winning two sectional championships (1992 & 1994), and was a starting midfielder on the Panthers’ 1994 State Final Four team.  

Following his Rye Neck career, Vasami went on to play four years as a catcher at the University of Pennsylvania of the Ivy League.