Mike Ridaught
This week, former University of Florida and Williston High baseball player Austin Langworthy signed a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Langworthy, who led Williston to back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015, could have opted for an additional year at UF but felt at the age of 23 it was time to pursue a professional baseball opportunity. His 17 hits this year tied for third on the Gators’ team.
Langworthy, who leaves UF with a national title, hit .403 during his high school career at Williston with 85 RBI and 11 home runs in 111 games. He was dominating on the mound as a Red Devil, with a career record of 28-1 with a 0.64 earned run average in just over 240 innings pitched.
In his four years at Williston, Langworthy finished with 315 strikeouts and allowed just 31 walks.
At UF, Langworthy, was a four-year starter, hitting .270/.369/.413 with 36 doubles and 19 home runs in 198 games. He also appeared in 18 games as a pitcher, going 1-3 with a 3.34 ERA in 32 innings. He also played three summers in the Cape Cod League.
Mike Ridaught is the founder and publisher of ThePrepZone.com, the foremost website for high school sports in northeast Florida.