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LARGO, Fla. – Ryan Pepiot at a Reading with the Rays event at Lighthouse of Pinellas on June 20, … More 2025.<\/p>\n
(Davida Franklin \/ Tampa Bay Rays)<\/p>\n
Like virtually every other kid coming home from school, Ryan Pepiot wanted to race into the house, drop off his books, and race back outside to play. It didn\u2019t quite happen that way, though, for Pepiot. Emulating Ken Griffey, Jr.\u2019s swing in the backyard would have to wait until he cracked those books.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince my mom was a teacher, it was, \u2018When you get home, it is homework first and then you can go outside and play,\u2019\u201d recalled the Rays pitcher in speaking of Christine, who continues to serve as an elementary school and special education teacher in Westfield, Ind., about 30 miles north of Indianapolis. \u201cOf course, all I wanted to do was go out and play. I made sure to knock out the homework.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Pepiot was traded<\/a> to the Rays from the Dodgers in December 2023 in a deal that sent Tyler Glasnow to L.A., he and his wife, Lilia, learned as much as they could about communities that comprise the Tampa Bay region. After all, he desired to share many of the values that were instilled in him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I are very passionate about giving back to this community because it has given us a lot,\u201d said the 27-year-old righthanded pitcher. \u201c(Rays fans) welcomed us and have been cheering us on through the good and bad. It\u2019s been very fun to give back a bunch of different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Reading with the Rays<\/p>\n One of the many ways Pepiot has given back has been through Reading with the Rays, which is among several community-related programs under the umbrella of the Rays Baseball Foundation<\/a>. Launched in 2006, the program \u201cencourages kids to avoid summer reading loss by participating in a fun and interactive reading program over the summer months.\u201d<\/p>\n Pepiot participated in a Reading with the Rays event last year and was eager to partake again this summer, which he did at Lighthouse of Pinellas<\/a> on June 20. Founded six decades ago, the education and rehabilitation facility assists the visually impaired of all ages and provides support for caregivers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an experience that was very cool,\u201d said Pepiot, who read with elementary school age youngsters. \u201cThe kids work hard on reading, doing it with braille and they were so much fun to be around. To see the smile on their faces, it brightens your day.\u201d<\/p>\n Enrique Oliu can appreciate how those at Lighthouse of Pinellas have been bettering themselves. Oliu has provided commentary on the Rays\u2019 Spanish radio broadcasts (WQBN<\/a>) since the club\u2019s inaugural season of 1998 without having seen a pitch. The native of Nicaragua, blind at birth, relies largely on the symphony that is that sound of baseball resonating throughout the ballpark. It is an experience he shared while attending the event with Pepiot. Most important, those who attended learned how Oliu has enjoyed a wonderful career.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile they certainly loved meeting Ryan, the big thing for me was to be there and show those kids that they can do something,\u201d said Oliu, who is assisted by his wife, Debra Perry, when calling games alongside veteran play-by-play partner, Ricardo Taveras. \u201cI spoke to the kids about what I do and how I have done it so that they could understand how they can make something of themselves. You never know what some of the kids might have gotten out of (our visit). There are many possibilities for them.\u201d<\/p>\n