Amherst’s Ryan Rua, a junior shortstop from Lake Erie College that played in the Great Lakes Collegiate Baseball Summer League, was named the Great Lakes Summer League’s third-best prospect by national scouting service Perfect Game USA.

Rua led the wood bat-league champion Hamilton Joe’s with a .333 average and .533 slugging percentage in 36 regular season games over the summer. He had a team-high seven triples and added a pair of home runs and drove in 22 runs. He was named MVP of the Great Lakes All-Star Game and was an All-GLSCL First Team selection.

"This is a tremendous personal accomplishment for Ryan and really a testament to the work he has put in to become a better player," Storm head coach Brian McGee said. "We’re really proud of the way he performed and handled himself both on and off the field in representing Lake Erie College and the baseball program. He has taken is natural skill set and showed the kind of work ethic character and discipline we try to instill into the players in our program. It is something he should be very proud of."

Rua is already the school’s career leader in home runs and slugging percentage after two seasons. Rua will enter his junior season with a .360 career average, 22 home runs and 87 RBIs. He hit an even .400 last year with 11 homers, 40 RBIs and a school-record tying 60 hits, earning All-Midwest Region Second Team honors from the ABCA.

"As well as Ryan played in the spring, he was just as good — if not better — in the summer transitioning to a wood bat," McGee said. "We look for him to carry that performance through the fall and winter workouts and into next season."

The Storm won a school record 18 games in 2010. They are slated to open the season March 6 in St. Augustine, Fla. at Flagler College.

swalker@MorningJournal.com