Washington Softball: Everyone needs to know the name Ruby Meylan

Ruby Meylan is someone that Husky fans of all sports should know about. She played a major role on the 2023 University of Washington team that went all the way to the College World Series all while being a True Freshman.

In any sport, it is rare for a true freshman to make an impact on their team as there is usually some development required for athletes going from high school to college. Meylan, however, was one of the rare exceptions.

Washington softball fans should get to know Ruby Meylan

Meylan wasn't just an impact player as a true freshman, she was the ace of the staff. Meylan was used as both a reliever and a starter as she appeared in 46 games while being the starting pitcher in 26 of them.

In 46 games Maylan posted an exceptional 2.14 ERA with 15 complete games and 8 shutouts. She also finished with an 18-7 record with 180 innings pitched while striking out 204 batters. She also tied a program record for saves in a season with seven on top of having the save that sent the Huskies to the College World Series. Her outstanding season led her to become the first Husky freshman in six years to become an All-American on top of being first team All-Pac-12 selection.

Ruby Meylan is a right-handed pitcher who is a strikeout machine as she possesses an elite fastball that she can command anywhere in the zone. Her fastball velocity consistently sits between 68-69 mph but she can get extra miles per hour on her fastball when she comes in to pitch one inning as a reliever as she can empty the tank since she doesn't have to worry about maintaining her velocity. Another skill that makes her fastball elite is the ability to change the velocity of each fastball within an at-bat.

The other key skill that Meylan possesses that makes her one of the most valuable players in the country is her ability to pitch deep into games. Meylan finished the season with 180 innings pitched, an impressive mark for any pitcher let alone a true freshman. She was consistently throwing over 100 pitches per game as a starter which is almost unheard of in the modern game.

Whenever Meylan was the starting pitcher you could confidently believe that she would be the only pitcher to take the mound that day as she had a remarkable 15 complete games in 26 starts. Her ability to pitch entire games allowed the team to keep the rest of the pitching staff fresh and firing at one hundred percent for the games that Meylan wasn't the starting pitcher which allowed the Huskies to have one of the best pitching staffs in the country.

Ruby Meylan immediately became the ace of the pitching staff for the Huskies as a True Freshman which is unheard of. The ability that Meylan possesses to not just pitch deep into games but to do it while sporting a 2.14 ERA was massively impressive for a college pitcher let alone a true freshman.

Her ability to also command and control her fastball is why she has the potential to become the best player in the country because it is a truly dominant pitch. I expect Ruby Meylan to be even better this season especially now that she has a year of experience under her belt which I believe will lead to her becoming a national star especially if she leads her team to the College World Series.