WARDEN — Coming off his summer season with Mercedes-Benz College Prep baseball team, Ryan Arredondo said his confidence is building as he gets set to begin his college career.

Arredondo saw his senior season at Warden High School canceled this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a chance to play alongside Division I talent this summer has helped him build confidence as he gets set to join University of the Pacific this fall, he said.

“When I face nationally-ranked travel ball teams, there’s 13 kids going to a Power 5 Division I school, you have to mix it up,” Arredondo said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you throw. I can throw 91 every pitch, it doesn’t matter, they’ll put it to the wall.”

Facing the level of talent he’ll see next year in college helped Arredondo see what he needed to work on as a pitcher. He said he’d always been able to find success with his power moving through high school and had not considered changing up his philosophy.

Going into a game this summer, Arredondo said he thought he’d be able to do the same. Hit after hit went back to the wall, he said, despite hitting his top speeds. While he’d always spent time working on his other pitches, he said the “full intent” wasn’t there yet.

“Until I see another team that can hit me, then I’ll switch it up,” Arredondo said. “And I did, and I really need that. I was thinking that throughout that whole game that I need this; I needed this before I went to college.”

In one game, Arredondo said things started to click for him as a pitcher. Working this summer with Mercedes-Benz offered him the chance to surround himself with athletes looking to accomplish the same goal as him.

“Put yourself around the best possible kids you can in what you do,” Arredondo said. “If you’re working in a law firm, you want to be around the best lawyers. These kids I’m around, there’s kids that have already been drafted, turned down seven-figure offers.”

Being surrounded by that level of talent forced Arredondo to elevate his game, physically and mentally. He said if players didn’t elevate what they brought in the game, they’d be “thrown to the wolves.” Mentally, he said it meant changing everything from how he thinks to how he carries himself off the field.

Moving toward the fall, he said he’s working on continuing to build and expand his game.

“I don’t want to take anything away from what I have,” Arredondo said. “Mentally, I’m where I’m at because of my mental game, and I’ll never change that about myself. Going through tough times is when you show who you really are, and I’ll continue to be who I am at every single point in time.”

Right now, he said he’s working on physical training after wrapping up his summer season. Arredondo said he’s excited to get to work as he looks to make a big impact in his freshman season.

Expanding his repertoire on the mound is something Arredondo said he’s confident he’ll be able to accomplish surrounded by talented coaching next year.

“I’m going to be with an amazing program and a bunch of amazing coaches,” Arredondo said. “I’ve never had a pitching coach. I’m going to a Division I pitching coach, a nutritionist, a strength training coach. My head coach is really great.”

A few months removed from when his senior season would have come to a close, the Warden graduate said he sees the silver lining to the way things played out.

“If I was going from high school to summer to fall ball in college, I’d be over 120 innings that I had on my arm,” Arredondo said. “I’m just thankful for where I’m at and, physically, how healthy I am right now.”

Arredondo said he’ll be making the move to Stockton, California, within the next week. He said his excitement level is huge for making the move and getting the chance to work and prove himself.

“I really hope we get the opportunity to practice because I want to show what I have, not only on the physical part,” Arredondo said. “I want to compete. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it doesn’t matter what their name says, I’m going to compete at all times. I just want to showcase that and my ability to work, because I can work.”