By Kim Hilsenbeck

Lots of kids are in summer camp. But how many get to say they played baseball with a former major leaguer?

The boys attending the Math and Science of Sports camp at SNJ Academics in Buda spent about two hours Friday with former Texas Rangers pitcher Mario Ramos. While he played just a few games in the big show, he was in professional farm team leagues for about seven years.

As it turns out, he also majored in mathematics at Rice University and got his masters (in math) at Texas State University.

So he was quite literally the right guy to bridge the gap between math and sports.

On a recent camp morning, Ramos was crouched down with a group of boys standing around him.

“We’re trying to figure out how to get the bases set up,” he said. “We made a mistake and made a circle.”

The group had rope and mini orange cones. They were attempting to measure the right angle between first and second base.

He had some of the boys stand at first while a few went to second.

“When we used a protractor a few minutes ago, what angle did we say it was?” Ramos asked the boys.

Carpenter Hill Elementary student Liam Keller, 8, answered, “90.”

Ramos confirmed, “Yes, we need 90.”

“What was the shape we’re trying to make?” he asked.

After a little confusion, they finally figured it out: a diamond, a rhombus and the real answer, a square.

“Oh my gosh, this should be easier but it’s not,” Ramos said. But he smiled.

“We’re trying to make this parallel,” he told the boys. 

He watched them try to set the rope straight.

“It took us an hour to get the field set up,” he joked.

He and the boys fiddled some more with the rope and bases. Then the field was ready.

“Golly. I’m ready to play,” he told the boys. “How ’bout y’all?”

And the game began. Ramos was the all-time pitcher for both teams. The rules were a little less rigid than in the big time.

Since they needed a sixth player to round out the game, Kim Hilsenbeck, whose son Logan was attending the camp, volunteered, despite having on a dress and sandals.

The boys on the first team took turns hitting the pitches Ramos lobbed at them using a lightweight ball. They ran the bases and scored runs, and a few outs.

When it was time to switch sides, the other team was up to bat.

After several innings, it was time for a water break.

Ramos talked about his athletic career and how it has affected his current path. How did he get involved teaching a math and baseball clinic? 

He worked on his master’s degree at Texas State University with SNJ Academics founder Selina Vasquez. At Texas State University-San Marcos since 1998, she is a professor in the Mathematics Department and is founder and director of the ?Center for Mathematics.

Ramos got a degree in middle school mathematics. Now an assistant principal at Windermere Elementary Pflugerville ISD, he’s heading into his seventh year of being an educator.

But from 1999 to 2007, Ramos was part of a few major league farm teams. In 2003, he was called up to pitch for the Texas Rangers. 

“[Playing in the majors] was everything I hoped it could be,” he said. “It’s fantastic. Everything is so open. Definitely it’s the most fair job I’ve had.”

As an educator, first a teacher and now an assistant principal, Ramos said he sometimes uses his baseball history in his dealings with students.

“It’s a good way to connect with kids,” he said.

At the math and science of sports camp, Ramos said he was incorporating geometry and using different geometric figures into the lesson.

“It was a good opportunity to use a tool like a protractor,” he said.

By using baseball as a teaching reference, he was able to help the campers grasp the math and science behind the sport. He also enticed the boys by telling them they would begin playing once they figured things out from a math standpoint.

“That’s how we framed it,” he said. “’As soon as the field was set up we could play.”

Elm Grove Elementary student Jacob Chacon, 9, said he was having fun and learning about right angles. 

Does it help understand the game of baseball?

“Yes,” the boys said simultaneously.

Liam Keller said the camp was fun. 

“I learned about math and sports,” he said. His t-shirt that day combined science and sports as well.

As Ramos ended the water break, he said he was happy to volunteer his time to help out with the camp.

“I hope the boys remember some of this,” he said.