Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University baseball program recently organized an alumni speaker series at the UBS Detroit branch office. The event, held on January 9, featured presentations from four former Wayne State baseball student-athletes.

Among the speakers were current Major League Baseball pitcher Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros and Griffin Kilander, a 2024 Boston Red Sox draft pick. They shared insights into their professional journeys. Joe Neal, a 2004 alumnus and owner of 2SP Sports Performance, discussed his entrepreneurial success and his role as a personal strength and conditioning coach for Brown and Kilander. Tyler Loehr, who earned a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice from WSU in 2012, also participated in the panel to share his experiences in the medical field.

The event was attended by Wayne State Baseball alumni spanning from the 1970s to the 2020s. Head baseball coach Ryan Kelley, assistant coach Aaron Hepner, and 2025 co-captains Tony Hatzigeorgiou, Keegan Pulford-Thorpe, and Reagan Paulina provided updates on the current state of the program. Kevin Moore, a broadcast/journalism major from WSU's class of 2016, served as the forum emcee.

Bill Avery, a former Wayne State baseball player and graduate of the Mike Ilitch School of Business from the class of '92, hosted the event at UBS Detroit Branch Office. The event was sponsored by Born In Detroit.

Prior to the reception, WSU baseball alumni Ryan LaPensee and Paul LaMantia sponsored new batting gloves for the team's hitters through Backyard Bats. Frank LaLama from Vanguard Real Estate Group sponsored a new indoor mound for pitchers.

Coach Kelley expressed gratitude for the event's success: "What a great evening that witnessed several eras of Wayne State baseball come together," he said. "The 2025 baseball season will be the 85th anniversary campaign of our program... A sincere thank you to all attendees and featured alumni presentations."