Ryan alum Dolan
is well-armed

By Joe Mason
For the Times

In high school, Tom Dolan spent three years as the ace of his team’s pitching staff.
The 2004 graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School was as dominating as can be on the mound. He helped lead the Raiders to the championship game during his senior year; during his 10th-grade season, he guided them to the semifinals.
The lefty baffled hitters throughout his Ryan career. In fact, he was among the top pitchers in the league during his final high school year.
Dolan then headed to Temple University on a Division 1 scholarship. Dominating at the high school level is one thing. But could he do it at the highest collegiate level possible?
Truth be told, Dolan’s pitching success at Temple isn’t the same as what he enjoyed at Ryan. He’s actually doing better as an Owl than he ever did during his days as a Raider.
The junior hurler carries a 4-3 record on the hill for the Owls, who are 11-21 on the year.
In nine starts, he has a 2.04 earned-run average with 54 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. He’s also stingy when it comes to allowing base runners — opponents are hitting just .227 against him.
"It’s going really well, I’m learning a lot," said Dolan, who played centerfield for the Owls as a freshman and has since been one of the team‘s top hurlers. "At the college level, players are faster, better hitters, and a lot more disciplined, so it took some getting used to, but we have a great coaching staff.
"In high school, I relied more on my fastball," he continued. "Now, to keep the hitters off balance, I work in a change-up, a slider and I throw my split-finger fastball. I have more command on that pitch, and that’s helped a lot."
Dolan’s command hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last week, College Baseball selected him as the National Player of the Week after he struck out a career-high 16 batters in a 6-5 victory over Dayton on April 8. Dolan flirted with a no-hitter for seven innings, exited the game after eight innings, and had a 6-1 lead when he headed for the bench.
The only hit he surrendered on the afternoon was a home run.
On the year, Dolan also has been named the Philadelphia Big 5 Pitcher of the Week three times.
Although making the jump from high school to college can be tough, Dolan never doubted his ability, which probably is why he’s having so much success now.
As rewarding as the honors are, Dolan is happier about the success of the Temple baseball program.
"It’s a combination of a lot of things," said Dolan, whose team won just six games a season ago. "I think we’re making a lot of strides — we almost doubled our win total from last year, so that’s a nice accomplishment.
"I think recruiting has a lot to do with it. This coaching staff has done a great job recruiting," he continued. "But they’re also really good coaches, so we’re getting better, improving. When you have good players, good coaches and everyone has a good work ethic, you’re going to improve."
Dolan hopes he can improve enough to take another step in his baseball career.
"Of course everyone who plays baseball, any sport really, wants to play professionally," Dolan said. "I would love to go to the pros, but it’s like anything else, you have to work hard and get lucky."
His pitching repertoire is good and diverse enough to give him a decent shot at playing for pay some day. But he’s making sure he’ll be prepared for anything.
This summer, the sports-marketing major will head north to participate in the New England Collegiate Baseball League — a summer league where the top college players compete and sharpen their skills. He’ll also be doing some career prep.
"I’m going to intern at the Basketball Hall of Fame," Dolan said. "I’ll do a little public relations, a little marketing, I just have to finalize my paperwork.
"I’ll be learning all aspects of sports marketing, which is exactly what I want to do," added Dolan, who also played basketball during his days at Ryan. "It’s a great opportunity. I’ll get to meet people and I’ll learn a lot. I’m really looking forward to it."
He is quite satisfied with the way things have gone at Temple. Sure, the Owls haven’t been the most consistent team during Dolan’s tenure, but he has come to value the chance to learn and grow.
"It’s the perfect situation for me," Dolan said. "I’ve learned a lot, I have great coaches, great teammates and I’m having fun. Plus, it’s real close to home and my family can come watch just about every game. It’s perfect." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com