Hard-Working Bramasco Can't Wait To Give Senior Season Another Shot
Brian Tom
5/20/2020
Ramon Bramasco is one of four Husky Baseball seniors that saw what was supposed to be their final season at Washington end in March before the campaign truly took flight. Fortunately for Bramasco, who is originally from Los Angeles, he and his fellow seniors will be allowed to return to the field in 2021 and complete their college careers.
Bramasco took a not-so-conventional path to get to Washington. Out of Cathedral High School, he attended Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., but was cut during walk-on tryouts. He transferred to Cerritos College where he starred on the field and earned his Associates Degree.
Now, Bramasco, an Education major, is a year away from becoming the first in his immediate family to earn a college degree. His hard work and skill have made him a mainstay in the Huskies' lineup, as he has started every game in his two years at UW. He is the epitome of the baseball teams' mantra: DaWgStrong.
Bramasco recently caught up with GoHuskies.com from his home in Los Angeles where he is quarantining himself with family.
What is your daily routine since the pandemic hit?
I go lift in the morning every day. I have a friend I go lift with. When I get back, I’ve got class on certain days, then study hall from 10:00 to 12:00 if I don’t have class on those days at those times. And then three times a week we have meetings – two hitters meetings and one full team.
What are those meetings like on Zoom?
You kind of learn a little bit more about guys and the way they think by going over conversations we normally wouldn’t have over the season. You can really learn about the way guys think when they’re at the plate, in the field or just the way they think in general. We got to learn a lot more about guys. It’s good to see the team every day.
What was it like when you found out when your trip to USC was cancelled and then the progression of how the news just kept getting worse and worse about the season?
The first thing we knew was that they weren’t going to let anybody into the games. We were like, ‘What about our family? How are we going to go down and not have our family watch?’ (Ramon’s family is based in Los Angeles). That was my first thought. When we got to the airport we got notification that everything was cancelled. We were just in shock. We were wondering what we were going to do next. The coaches didn’t even know for sure what was going on until they saw the Tweet themselves. They got in touch (with administrators) and we were told to get back on the bus. It kind of went fast. We went home and just stayed away from each other and had to wait and see how it played out. Within hours, the season was cancelled. It went by quick.
?? Defense wins the day. Nice snag Ramon Bramasco! ??: @lilohtanivert#DaWgStrong pic.twitter.com/wqN3Rbd3QS
— Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) February 17, 2020
When the season first got cancelled, the NCAA had not determined yet what to do with seniors. What was going through you mind?
At first I couldn’t believe that was it. My other roommates (seniors) Nick Rob(erts) and Rollie (Nichols) were in the same boat. We couldn’t believe that it was going to be it just like that. We didn’t even get a chance to get into Pac-12 play. We just started talking about memories and reminiscing. We were hopeful that might get the year back, but at that moment, it was just heart breaking.
What were your feelings when you found out that the coaches were going to honor your senior years and that you were going to be able to come back?
It was a sense of relief. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was able to kind of relax and not stress about it in a sense. I was able to just think about school stuff.
Talk about your decision to return for “another” senior season and the role that school played in the decision?
I have another year school left for my degree in Education so honestly it wasn’t that difficult of a decision. I would have went back anyway, so I was blessed to have another go at it and play another year.
Have you and the other seniors (Roberts, Nichols and Leo Nierenberg) talked about what it will be like to come back together?
We just asked each other if we were going to come back and we all had the same thought process; yeah, if we were going to get the opportunity to come back we all were going to give it another shot.
You have a year of school remaining. What’s the plan of action for you to complete your education degree?
I have to do a 10-hour-a-week internship, so in the fall, winter and spring I’ll be busy doing that. The one class in Education is a capstone and it’s once a week for about an hour. I’m also going to try to take some Spanish classes to earn a minor.
On the field, over the last two years you have been the only player to start every game. What do you attribute that accomplishment to?
My teammates motivate me every day. Every guy wants to play. That is everyone’s goal. We bring out the best in each other and you can’t let up. Every day is a new day with new challenges that you need to meet. They push me and help me reach that extra gear. I just push forward and try to minimize the bad days.
Talk about your journey to get to the UW.
I didn’t talk to any of the coaches before I went to Grand Canyon (University). I just assumed I could try out over a two-day period as a walk-on. I ended up taking my physical and getting a one-day tryout. I took two rounds of batting practice, took some ground balls and ran a 60. Coach talked to me and told me there just wasn’t room on the team for a walk on. So I finished the year out and I was thinking I would come back better and that he was going to have to put me on the team. But I talked to one of my coaches from high school that went to Cerritos College and eventually transferred to Cal State Fullerton where he was part of a World Series team. He saw me hitting in the batting cages and asked me what I was going to do and asked, ‘Do you really think you’re going to back and get a spot on that team?’ He told me to go to Cerritos for two years and that the best case scenario is that I would get a scholarship and play at the next level. The worst case scenario is that I would go finish school and go back to Grand Canyon or wherever. I thought about it and it was logical. Baseball is not here forever, but my education will be. I gave it a shot and changed the way I approach the game. I worked a lot harder than I did in high school – put in lots of hours.
What do you remember about your recruitment to Washington?
It was quick. I believe it was a couple weeks before the early signing period. (Coach Lindsay Meggs) called me and asked if I had seen (Washington) and what I thought about it. I said I was interested, but he wanted to come watch me practice and play. He came out and after watching me, he offered me. He asked if I wanted to take a trip and see UW and I went. I was blown away with the facilities and everything. It was great.
Did the Huskies advancing to the College World Series that year play into your decision?
I decided beforehand. It was exciting to watch the run though. It was very cool.
Since you weren’t given a shot out of high school do you always play with a chip on your shoulder?
I don’t really think that way. I just think in the present. I feel like I must outwork everybody, including those that had a better situation out of high school. Some guys may be a lot more talented than me, but they’re not going to outwork me. That’s the way I think and that is what I attribute my success to.
Where do you get your work habits from?
My parents for sure. They work hard in whatever they do and it was instilled into me.
How did you decide to major in Education?
When growing up I always had people help guide me into the right situations and put me in good spots. I was going to be a Business Accounting Major. That’s what I got my Associates Degree in. When I got to UW, I took an Education class and the professor kind of just opened up my eyes to the system and serving the kids. Where I come from you can end up one way or go another way. I just feel that anyone I can help push in the right direction I would like to do that.
When you finish school do you want to return to Los Angeles?
I haven’t got that far yet. It would be awesome, but it’s a little difficult here. There are a lot of politics around the education system. I do like Seattle a lot. I wouldn’t mind staying there.
What’s your favorite thing about Seattle?
The weather and the cleanliness of when you take a deep breath – it doesn’t feel muggy ever. It’s nice fresh air.
During the quarantine is there something you have been working on that you never would have had a chance to do if baseball was going on?
I’ve been learning how to cook more. I can cook some legit dishes. I’ve been teaching my parents some plant-based dishes and they have been teaching me how to incorporate Mexican ingredients into my dishes. My go-to-dish has been a tofu scramble that is like a Huevo Rancheros.
