Ray is a versatile left-hander who has both started and worked out of the bullpen for Ave Maria. He posted a 3.49 ERA this spring in 21 appearances, four of them starts, and earned one save. In 2013, his first year with the Gyrenes, he went 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA and four saves, and he held opponents to a trifling .187 batting average. 
Last summer, Messner pitched for the Syracuse Salt Cats in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He was second on the team with 13 appearances and finished tied for third in the league with four saves. 
Ray’s collegiate career began at St. John Fisher College, where he redshirted in 2011 and pitched sparingly in 2012 before transferring. 
Ray prepped at Saint John Neumann High School in Naples, Fla., helping lead his team to regionals as a junior. He was named district player of the year in 2010 while earning all-area honors in his final two high school seasons. He led the team in ERA as a junior (2.86) and senior (1.45), and he drove in a team-leading 21 runs a senior.