Former student athlete Joe Ravert discusses his career in baseball, college, and life.

Alumnus Joe Ravert ’12 played baseball at La Salle University as a two-way player, pitching and then playing first base.

Ravert was a part of a Malvern team in 2012 that won the Inter-Ac and a state championship.

“On the field, we were constantly winning, we went 10-0 in the Inter-Ac and that dogpile was pretty special senior year, and followed by winning a state title,” Ravert said.

But before his success in college and playing professionally, Joe struggled with his weight, at one point weighing 275 pounds.

“I realized I couldn’t go anywhere if I didn’t take my body seriously. I couldn’t pitch deep into games, and I would lose velocity in the third inning and start to get hit around. I dedicated myself to taking care of my body and to get into better shape to be able to pitch deeper into games,” Ravert said.

Ravert credits his success to his past coaches and their help.

¨When I got to Malvern, I was pretty raw and [Pitching Coach] EJ [Moyer]. I don’t want to say that he turned nothing into something, I think that there was something there, but he brought the best out in me as a pitcher and basically made me a bulldog on the mound where I had came in pretty mentally soft. I’m pretty forever grateful for EJ,¨ Ravert said.

¨[Head Coach] Freddy [Hilliard] was always that guy that gave you confidence, and I still say to this day and people that have belonged to our program, that Freddy is the best coach around, not even for what he does for you on the field, but for what he does for you off the field. He never hesitates to help you out in anyway,¨ Ravert said.

In addition to playing professionally for the Rockland Boulders in the Can-Am league and the Washington Wild Things in the Frontier league, Ravert also had the opportunity to play in the Cape Cod League.

“Most fun I ever had playing the game. Unreal experience playing in front of 30 or more scouts a night and 1,000 to 3,000 fans,” Ravert said.

This past year, Ravert decided to stop playing baseball.

“It was very tough. But there was a point where God wanted me to follow his plan for me, and it will work out. It’s tough, but you know life goes on, and I will always be involved in the game,” he said.

Graduating from La Salle University, he earned degrees in both accounting and finance.

Ravert currently works in the tax department at Johnson Matthey in Wayne. In September, he will be working at a public accounting firm down in Philadelphia called PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC.

¨I am currently studying for CPA exam which is for public accountants. There are four tests, a couple months apart for each. I passed one and I’m taking the other one in a couple weeks,” Ravert said.

Reflecting back on his time at Malvern, Ravert remembers his friends.

“One of my favorite memories was at lunch everyday. Like I remember my entire junior year, we had a debate about who was better, Kobe or Lebron, Saint Joe’s or Villanova,” Ravert said.

“I still have a group chat with my Malvern friends. To this day, we talk in it daily, and I see them at least a couple of times a year. There’s actually a couple of kids from my Malvern class that live on my block down here. I see them all the time,” Ravert said.

The brotherhood is still important for Ravert.

“Some of my Malvern friends will be my best friends for life,” Ravert said.