The moment Ryan O’Byrne tumbled to the Harris Field turf after catching a pass on a rainy Thursday afternoon last fall, he feared the worst.
During what was supposed to be a light walk-through before a Belmont High School football game, O’Byrne dislocated and tore the labrum in his right shoulder — his dominant, throwing side.
“I immediately started thinking about baseball and how it affected it right away,” O’Byrne said. “The first thought was if I ruined my baseball season in the spring.”
It didn’t.
O’Byrne suffered the same injury as a sophomore and, with the know-how to attack rehab, returned in time for a solid senior season for the Marauders baseball team. For his efforts, he was named a Middlesex League All-Star for the third straight year. O’Byrne batted .469 with 16 extra-base hits for the Marauders (9-11). He’s one of three BHS players in program history with more than 100 career hits.
Two years ago, the injury occurred while making a tackle. Last fall, it happened while receiving a pass. Unlike the first time, O’Byrne couldn’t pop his shoulder back in. Neither could Belmont’s trainer, so it remained out for an hour while O’Byrne went to the hospital.
The injuries limited his sophomore and senior football seasons to a few games and practices. He missed the basketball season both years as well.
“It was tough because I was someone who loved to play all sports,” O’Byrne said. “I definitely favored baseball when I got to high school.”
Both times, O’Byrne decided not to get surgery and focus more on physical therapy. That type of surgery on a throwing shoulder can take upward of a year to come back from. Everyone loses mobility. Three physical-therapy sessions per week, from the time of the injury until baseball season, got O’Byrne back on the diamond, although he never returned to pitching. O’Byrne switched from throwing straight over his shoulder to a more three-quarter arm slot for maximum comfort and to avoid injury.
“I took caution not to pitch because I knew I wanted to hit in college,” O’Byrne said. “I’m 100% now and back to where I was before I tore it the first time.”
A four-year baseball varsity starter, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound first baseman will play collegiately at Endicott College. An honor roll student at BHS, O’Byrne will study finance. At Endicott, he’ll join one of the top Division III college baseball programs. The Gulls qualified for the past three NCAA Division III College World Series.
Previous Coverage
“I’m excited to go compete with all those guys and have an opportunity,” O’Byrne said. “It’ll be a big adjustment from going to the top to the bottom [of roles], but it’ll give me the motivation I need to get to where I need to be.”
Rugby
The Marauders rugby teams picked up numerous Boston Globe All-Scholastic honors. Three seniors from the girls Division 1 state championship team — Hannah Jacoby, Sadie Taylor and Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald — garnered All-Scholastic nods. Seniors Mira Gardner, Lucy Hynds and Rebecca Michaud were recognized as honorable mentions. For the boys, senior Billy Hendrickson earned All-Scholastic distinction, while classmates Colin Green and Jack Townsend picked up honorable mention nods.
In Belmont-related but not BHS spring sports award news, Belmont High School 1975 graduate John O’Brien earned Boston Globe Coach of the Year honors for leading Lynnfield High School to the Division 4 state title game. Newton Country Day softball standout senior Sarah Brody, who will play collegiately at Tufts, earned Globe All-Scholastic honors.
Belmont High School Spring 2025 Middlesex League All-Stars
- Baseball: Ryan O’Byrne, Nolan Kelleher
- Softball: Amelia Ormond, Josie Kim
- Boys tennis: Brady Chan, Henry Moriarty, Kolya Radojevic
- Girls tennis: Avery Cai, Amy Chen, Giselle Fond
- Boys lacrosse: Declan Doherty
- Boys volleyball: Ian Choi
- Girls lacrosse: Niamh Lesnik, Keira Healy, Charlotte Mayall, Sydney Mun
- Girls track & field: Dana Lehr
- Rugby ( Commonwealth Rugby Conference )
- Girls: Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald, Rebecca Michaud, Mira Gardner, Sadie Taylor, Lucy Hynds, Rebecca Christensen
- Boys: Colin Green, Billy Hendrickson, Jack Townsend, Enzo Passos, Justin Giroux
