Ask Ryan Blanton about his favorite moments in a Georgia State baseball uniform, and the former center fielder mentions two home runs that bookend his four-year career from 2014-17.
 
"My first home run at Ole Miss," he says, recalling the blast he hit in just his seventh collegiate game to help the Panthers to a memorable 6-4 road win over the nationally-ranked Rebels. With GSU holding a one-run lead in the eighth inning, the left-handed hitting freshman pulled an 0-2 pitch down the line and over the fence for a key insurance run.
 
"In the moment, it all happened so fast, it's kind of hard to remember."
 
But he definitely remembers his final home run. Of course, who could forget a game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning against rival Georgia Southern to clinch the Panthers' spot in the conference tournament.
   
In between, Blanton says, "Georgia State gave me everything I was looking for in my college experience."
 
"Most important are the relationships, the camaraderie with the team," he continued. "Our coaching staff did a great job of preparing you to play baseball, and they were also there to make you better at life. I'm still in touch with my coaches from Georgia State."
 
Blanton's good memories extend to the classroom and beyond.
 
"The academic experience was awesome," he said. "Every teacher I had did a really good job of preparing me to move forward.
 
"I couldn't tell you one thing that I didn't get from Georgia State. It gave me everything I needed."
 
That is, everything he needed to go on to medical school because Blanton is now a second-year medical student in the Campell University School of Osteopaethic Medicine.
 
"Right now things are really heating up. All gas, no brakes," Blanton said. "This is one of the most important times in medical school, going into the first round of boards. We're studying harder than we ever have.
 
"As a student-athlete you had to be very conscious of how you spent your time, and I'm very glad I had that experience because medical school is that on an even grander level."
 
He is also zeroing in on what area of medicine he will pursue.
 
"In my first year of med school I changed my mind so many times," he explained. "Right now, I'm interested in emergency medicine.

"I've always wanted to be prepared for anything."
 
That might be an understatement.
 
Blanton's preparation on the field enabled him to earn first-team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2015 and put up a career batting average of .286 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI and 144 runs scored. He finished second in GSU history in career triples (12), second in walks (106), fourth in runs scored and eighth in games played (207).
 
In the classroom, the Lilburn, Ga., native and Parkview High School graduate was a Dean's List student at Georgia State and a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
 
Even during the summers, Blanton focused on preparing for his future. While playing summer baseball in the NECBL in Rhode Island, his host family, John and Mary Slattery, played an important role. John Slattery is a family medicine physician and Mary is a nurse, and Ryan was able to shadow John in his practice.
 
"They are such incredible people," Blanton said. "I still keep in contact with them, and they are like extended family now. I don't have anyone in my own family in the medical field, but with them, I have someone I can go to and ask questions. I am very thankful for them."
 
He is also very thankful for his wife Najat, also a Georgia State graduate. Najat is a teacher who conducts her fifth grade class from their home near Raleigh, N.C.
 
Although Blanton says, "I miss baseball every single day," his location has given him an opportunity to be close to a couple of his former teammates.
 
"The great thing about being here in North Carolina - Joey Roach lives 10 minutes away and Garrett Ford is 20 minutes away in Raleigh, so we get together and play golf."

Georgia State opens the 2021 season Feb. 19, hosting a four-game series vs. No. 14 West Virginia at the GSU Baseball Complex. Click here for the complete schedule.