Ryan O’Hearn Named 2025 National Baseball Congress Graduate of the Year

Wichita, KS – The National Baseball Congress announced today that Baltimore Orioles first baseman/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn is the 2025 NBC Graduate of the Year.

O’Hearn was a member of the Santa Barbara Foresters in both 2012 and 2013, including the 2012 NBC Championship team. During the 2012 championship run, O’Hearn started all 8 games at first base for the Foresters. In 2013, he started all 5 games during the Foresters’ NBC run, batting an impressive .278 and leading the team in doubles during the season.

The Graduate of the Year Award was first presented to Satchel Paige in 1955 and has been presented annually since 1975, based on their MLB performance in the previous season. Past winners of the award include Paul Goldschmidt, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Helsley, and 2024 winner Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers.

O’Hearn’s impressive summers with the Foresters led to him being drafted in the 8th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. O’Hearn made his MLB debut on August 1st, 2018, starting his career off with a memorable 2-run home run in his first at-bat.

After joining the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, O’Hearn has experienced a career resurgence over the last two years, becoming a crucial part of Baltimore’s lineup. In 2025, as of June 12th, O’Hearn is batting an impressive .308 with a .875 OPS, 9 home runs, and 26 RBIs through 198 at-bats, establishing himself as a key contributor to the Orioles’ success.

The 91st NBC World Series, powered by Evergy, runs July 24th-August 2nd. The first nine days will be played at Wichita State’s Eck Stadium, home of Tyler Field, with Championship Night returning to historic Downtown Wichita at Equity Bank Park. Tickets are available at nbcbaseball.com or by calling 316-295-3762.