Ryan Kulik, far right, is one of seven new members of the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame
Rutgers-Camden's Kulik inducted into SJ Baseball Hall of Fame
CAMDEN, N.J. (Dec. 5, 2023) –Rutgers University-Camden Baseball Coach
Ryan Kulik was one of the most dominant pitchers in the state during his scholastic and collegiate days, which led to a professional career in the St. Louis Cardinals' and Colorado Rockies' organizations.
Kulik's stellar career was honored on Nov. 25 when he was one of seven people inducted into the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame. The awards ceremony took place at the Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford, where the Hot Stovers held their 63rd Awards Banquet and 34th South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Joining Kulik as the newest Hall of Fame members were Bob Dacierno, Tookie Johnson, Darren Ford, Daniel E. Baker, Sam Tropiano and Robert Seddon. The banquet also honored members of the 2023 All-South Jersey High School Baseball Team.
Kulik, now in his fifth season as the Scarlet Raptors' head baseball coach, has been a success throughout his career, earning All-State and All-South Jersey honors at Cherokee High School and setting a program record with 17 strikeouts in one game for the Chiefs.
Kulik added to his accomplishments when he pitched at Rowan University from 2005-08, where he was a two-time New Jersey Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and NJAC First Team player. The southpaw earned First Team All-America recognition during his senior season, when he posted a 10-2 record, a 1.72 ERA and single-season program records for strikeouts (144) and strikeouts per nine innings (13.7). He set program marks for strikeouts in a game (15 against Alvernia on March 10, 2008) and career (337), career innings (330) and games started (49).
A three-time New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association All-State player, Kulik also captured a pair of ECAC Metro All-State selections and two American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors.
After closing his collegiate career with a 29-10 record and a 2.81 ERA, he was selected in the eighth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft (245th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals. He played professional baseball for seven seasons, reaching Triple-A ball with the Cardinals and Rockies organizations. He also was the Texas League Pitcher of the Week in 2010.
Following his professional career, Kulik spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Rowan, helping the Profs produce one of the top pitching staffs in the NJAC. During the 2019 season, his staff led all Division III teams nationally in strikeouts (454) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.2). It also led the NJAC and finished 10th nationally in WHIP with a 1.23 mark. During his last three seasons, Kulik's pitching staff ranked in the Div. III national Top 5 in numerous categories. Six Rowan pitchers signed professional contracts during his tenure.
Kulik's first season as the Rutgers-Camden head coach came in 2020, where he had the Scarlet Raptors off to a quick 5-1 start before the season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Overcoming the lack of a home field during his first two seasons (the Scarlet Raptors' previous park, Campbell's Field, was abandoned after the 2018 season, forcing the Raptors to play on the road for three seasons), Kulik's tenure finally resulted in a new field in 2022 with the opening of the Camden Athletic Complex along the Delaware River. The Scarlet Raptors' complex will host the NJAC Baseball Tournament in May.
During his three full seasons with the Scarlet Raptors, Kulik's teams have featured five All-NJAC players, while 30 Scarlet Raptors have earned NJAC Academic recognition. The conference didn't name honorees during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
