Cooperstown Dreams: Hard work pays off… and so does having fun on the diamond

For Rylan Lasser, he learned early in life that having balance between working hard and having a good time will help you succeed in life. This helps him be the good young person and baseball player that he is.

Rylan has been playing and enjoying baseball since he was 5 years old. In fact, Lasser is such a good ballplayer that he was part of the Defenders team that played in Cooperstown, New York, home of the Cooperstown Dreams Park and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, during the summer of 2023.

“Rylan loves to play baseball,” his grandfather Don Berman said. “He is a great teammate and a good friend to the other players on his team.”

And, like all the players on his Defenders team, they worked hard and dreamed of being invited to play at the Cooperstown Dreams Park. 

The “dumb jock” cliche is just that when it comes to Lasser. He is an outstanding student-athlete who has earned high academic honors. He is active at school, playing on his school’s basketball and travel teams as well. Of course, he is a talented baseball player who was recruited to play baseball at Perfect Game’s Showcase.

During the Cooperstown Dreams Park tournament, Lasser certainly contributed to his team’s overall success. He was the starting pitcher in game one, pitching a gem and hitting two home runs in the game toward helping his team to a 16-1 victory.

He pitched and was a vacuum at third base, and there is no doubt in anybody’s mind Lasser’s hitting eight home runs was a huge contribution to his team finishing as runners-up with a record of 7-1 in the tournament which was comprised of 72 teams from all over the US.

“Rylan was on a team that was made up of all stars from his Connecticut area selected to go to Cooperstown,” Berman said. “Being part of that team of all stars and going to Cooperstown was very exciting for him. I think when he was there, he really tried to help lead the team. That’s just who he is. He loves to play ball with his friends. He lets his actions speak for themselves. He really enjoyed playing there.”

Lasser lived in the barracks at Cooperstown Dreams Park with his teammates and coaches for the week of the tournament. All 72 teams attending the tournament lived in barracks, hung out together and traded team pins when they weren’t playing.

At the end of the Tournament Lasser was inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

When you are a good ballplayer, have fun and are constantly supporting your teammates, that makes you a special player. That is exactly who Lasser is, as he loves seeing his teammates and friends succeed while being a solid player as well. He is certainly gifted, and his family hopes he continues to be exactly who he is.

“We are very proud of Rylan, and no matter how long he plays or how far he goes, baseball has taught him many life lessons. He has developed a real sense of the value of friendships and respect for others and what he is capable of learning from others as he grows and matures. He is a truly fortunate person, and he is able to realize it each and every day.” – Rylan’s loving family