Hard Work Pays Off: The Rise of Kyle Ratliff

By Sedric Granger
With the score tied, 2-2, between the Southern Ohio Copperheads and the Xenia Scouts in the
bottom of the final inning of a seven inning doubleheader game, Kyle Ratliff enters the batter's
box on a warm July evening. With one runner on, Ratliff could end the game with this at bat.

“It is the time that you pray and ask for,” said Ratliff. “With the game on the line, I am the guy
that people want to be up to bat. At the plate, it is either do or don’t. Are you willing to accept
failure with your at bat or are you willing to demand success from yourself.”

After taking the first couple of pitches, Ratliff finds himself with a count of two balls and two
strikes. Although one more miss would force the game into extra innings, Ratliff remains patient
with his at bat, knowing that the pitch he wants is imminent. The pitcher delivers a fastball
streaking quickly towards the catcher’s glove, but, before the ball hits the mitt, Ratliff’s bat
connects with the baseball. Every fan in Bob Wren Stadium rises to their feet as the baseball flies
like a comet through the sky over the left field wall. Once again, Ratliff has sent the crowd into a
joyous frenzy with a game-winning home run for the Southern Ohio Copperheads.

“I like to look at it as I am not God’s gift to the game, but God is giving me the gift to play the
game,” stated Ratliff, “Everything I do on the field has nothing to do with me ever. It’s all just to
glorify him. Hopefully, I can spread the gospel through the way I play the game.”

Having grown up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, faith and family have always been a big part of
Kyle Ratliff’s story. Growing up in a strong family of five, Ratliff’s parents, Susan and Robert,
were always very supportive of Kyle, his brother, and sister no matter how far away they were
competing.

“On one weekend my dad would be with me in South Bend, while my Mom would be watching
my brother in Iowa. Then after, my dad would drive back to Grand Rapids to watch my sister
play basketball,” remarked Ratliff, “My parents split it up to make sure my siblings and I felt
supported.”

Each of Ratliff’s siblings have thrived in their own ways. His sister, Aaliyah, stars on the
basketball court as a high school senior while his brother, Brandon, has gotten national
recognition for his skills in track & field at Illinois State. As for Kyle though, his sport of choice
follows in the footsteps of his father.

Robert Ratliff had a commendable run in professional baseball. After an illustrious high school
baseball career in the Kansas City area, Robert decided to put his skills to the test by trying out
for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Out of 300 people trying out, he
made the top 15, earning a spot on the Omaha Royals (Now known as the Storm Chasers) of the
minor league. After playing a few years with Omaha, Robert retired from baseball after a
commendable career.

“My dad’s career definitely pushes and inspires me,” said Ratliff, “I’m sure that, as a parent, he
would want better for his kids than he does himself. I want to give my dad that dream as much as
I want the dream for myself to make it to the next level of the Major Leagues.”

Even though Kyle dreamt of making the MLB throughout his life, it took some time for the goal
to feel real to him. Despite the lack of major early success, Ratliff continued to find ways to put
in work when he could throughout his high school days, committing fully to baseball through
making the tough decision to quit basketball to focus more on spending time in the batting cages.
Through his commitment on the diamond, the outfielder earned a chance to play baseball at Lake
Michigan College of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

As a Lake Michigan College Redhawk, Ratliff started to see his hard work pay off in a major
way. The right-handed hitter played in 36 games, registering a .364 batting average, 38 RBI’s,
and 10 homeruns. The outfielder had such a stellar season that some scouts began to take notice.

“I got that first call from the Texas Rangers in which they invited me to a workout and got to
know me,” said Ratliff with conviction, “That’s when reality hit that this dream can happen.”

Even though Ratliff’s career was starting to blossom, Ratliff continued working hard, aiming for
an opportunity to move up to play NCAA Division I baseball. Although it would be nice to have
many offers, Ratliff was just looking for a Division I school to give him a chance.

“I went for a visit at SIUE, and they offered me a full ride scholarship,” said Ratliff with a smile,
“It was something I could not turn down. I felt a great sense of joy and relief. I felt that God had
heard me.”

With a scholarship attained, Ratliff is now about to embark upon his first season at Southern
Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), which is just a few hours away from where his dad
grew up in Kansas City. However, before going to SIUE, Ratliff had a stop with the Southern
Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) in the summer of
2022 to hone his skills.

The star outfielder was nothing short of dominant as a member of the Copperheads, batting .328
on the season with 34 RBI’s and a league high and team record 11 home runs. For his efforts,
Ratliff won the Gary Henschen Player of the Year Award, the Ron Miller Top Player Prospect
Award, and a spot on the GLSCL South Division All-Star Team.
“His dependability and consistency in showing up in big moments left myself and copperhead
fans in awe throughout the Summer,” said Copperheads General Manager Charlie Clegg when
asked about Ratliff’s 2022 season on the diamond.

Even though Ratliff took the league by storm through his exhilarating plays on the field, he was
more than just a home run hitter to the Southern Ohio community.

“The community is what makes the Copperheads special” shared Ratliff as he reminisced on his
time with Southern Ohio, “It is what makes me want to keep coming back. For instance, seeing
Maggie stand right next to the on deck circle everytime I bat. That’s just something you don’t get
everywhere you go. I could not ask for a more welcoming community.”

Maggie is a young copperheads fan that would attend most of the Southern Ohio games. She
would often watch the games around the dugout with the other kids to interact with the
copperhead players. Ratliff formed a friendship with her, referring to her as his “lucky charm”
when he would go up to the bat.

Many kids like Maggie grew really close to the Southern Ohio Copperheads due to the initiative
of players like Ratliff to build community connections. Over the span of the summer season,
Kyle and his teammates helped out with outreach events including the “Swimming with the
Snakes” event at a local pool, reading to kids at local libraries, and teaching kids baseball skills
at youth summer camps.

“Being our first year back from Covid, we did not know how the community would accept the
Copperheads,” said Clegg, “But thanks to Kyle and other players from the team, we were able to
come back in a colorful fashion.”

After a terrific 2022 campaign, there is no doubt that Kyle will bring that same impact into his
2023 baseball seasons with both the SIUE Cougars and his 2023 summer league team, the Battle
Creek Battle Jacks. No matter where his career leads him, Kyle knows that God will place him
on the right path.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions used for Kyle Ratliff’s Interview

1. Starting from the beginning
a. Talk to me about your background and how you grew up in Grand Rapids.
b. I remember you telling me that you have siblings that are also in athletics, tell me
a little about them. How about your parents?
 c. In one of our prior conversations, we talked a lot about growing up in Church.
How did that influence who you are today?
2. Baseball Dream
a. What is the impact of your Dad making it all the way to triple A on your life?
b. What were some of your formative baseball experiences growing up?
c. What moment in your life did it click for you that you have the potential to go all
the way to the big leagues?
3. Lake Michigan College
a. How did that time of your career help you earn an offer from SIU Edwardsville
4. Copperheads
a. In terms of joining the Copperheads, what was your recruiting process like?
b. What were some of your favorite moments of the season as a Southern Ohio
Copperhead?
c. Talk to me about the community such as the atmosphere at Copperheads games
and your friendship with some of the kids in the community.
d. Talk to me about your bond with your teammates.
e. One of your greatest strengths that I observed throughout last semester was your
ability to come up with huge at bats when the game was on the line. On the field,
describe to me your approach in late game situations.
5. Future Aspirations
a. How are you liking SIU-Edwardsville so far
b. What are your main goals for the future
6. Any other questions
a. Is there anything I should have asked about that I did not

Research Process
I chose to do my profile on Kyle since he will be on the team that I will broadcast for this
upcoming summer, the Battle Creek Battle Jacks. He was the star player of the Copperheads last
year in Athens. As one of the broadcasters for the Copperheads, I knew a good bit about him
from my conversations with him. I referenced my informational boards from the season,
considered past conversations, and did research on both the Lake Michigan College and Southern
Ohio Copperhead websites. In addition, I took the time to reach out and speak with the general
manager of the Southern Ohio Copperheads. Charlie Clegg gave a lot of good insight on Kyle’s
impact and provided me with a great complement to what I gleaned from my video call with
Kyle. I aim to send this article over to the Battle Jacks in order to add it to the website once the
roster is officially announced.