Son of a Gun : Nolan Ryan’s Boy Fires It Past First Batter He Faces

Was there any doubt?

Reid Ryan, son of baseball’s all-time strikeout leader, made his collegiate debut Tuesday for No. 6 Texas. Naturally, Nolan’s kid struck out the first batter he faced.

“It was exciting,” the 19-year-old freshman said. “I’ve been itching, waiting to get in. It was neat.”

Ryan’s first victim was a friend, Shayne Currin of Texas-Arlington. In the summer, Currin is a bullpen catcher for the Texas Rangers, the team Nolan pitches for.

“I was kind of nervous, but it wasn’t the kind of scared nervous, it was just being excited,” Reid Ryan said. “It had been a while since I had pitched to a batter. Getting that first strike over was the most important thing.”

Ryan, using a fastball clocked at 85 m.p.h. and a good, overhand curveball, pitched two innings in relief as Texas won the second game of a doubleheader 10-3. He gave up one run and two singles and struck out two.

Ryan’s father, who has attended a couple of the Longhorns’ games, did not make it to Austin for the debut.

“He just has so many demands on his time, it’s hard for him to get here on short notice,” Texas Coach Cliff Gustafson said.

Nolan Ryan and Gustafson each have been careful not to put too much pressure on the young right-hander, who has a motion similar to his dad. Besides, there’s enough already.

Gustafson, who coached Roger Clemens, Greg Swindell and Calvin Schiraldi at Texas, has no plans to put Ryan in the rotation right away. Rather, he wants to give him a chance to develop without demanding too much.

“It was a good one for the first time out,” Gustafson said. “Our plan has always been to bring Reid along slowly. His fastball has some spark to it.”