Mike Ridaught
Williston’s Ryan Braddock is looking to end his high school baseball career the way he began it as a freshman—with a state championship.
In 2019, Williston (21-9) defeated Chiefland to win the FHSAA baseball Class 1A state title. That was his favorite high school sports moment so far.
The rising senior, who will play shortstop and pitcher this spring, finished with a slash line of a .341 batting average/.440 on-base percentage/.475 slugging percentage as a junior. He had a .916 OPS, four doubles, two triples, and a home run for the Red Devils, who were regional finalists and lost 12-6 to eventual state champion Newberry.
Braddock led the team with 28 runs scored and 23 runs batted in.
“Ryan is a switch hitter,” said Williston baseball coach Mike Bullock. “He is a gap-to-gap hitter with some pop.”
Braddock also led the team with 17 stolen bases in 2021, and he finished second on the team defensively with 22 assists.
“Very good instinctive base runner with speed,” Bullock said. “Defensively, a very good shortstop who makes the routine plays and can make great flashy plays also.”
On the mound, he had a 1.35 earned run average in eight appearances.
The 2nd Team All Area selection, who is also a National Honor Society member, said the thing he is looking forward to most his senior year is “being a leader and helping this team get back to a state title.”
“This is the last go around with these guys so we’re gonna come out playing hard every night and have fun while doing it,” Braddock said.
His favorite coach Bullock saying is, “Responsibility is important. Early is on time, on time is late.”
“I think we have the best coaches in Florida and every year in Williston our goal is to win a championship,” Braddock said. “We have a winning tradition here and as the only player on this team that won that title back in 2019, my goal is to get this team to Fort Myers with my boys.”
Braddock has college offers but is currently uncommitted. He plans on attending college to major in Business Management with an opportunity to play college baseball.
“Ryan means a lot to our team,” Bullock said. “He is the leader of the team and working towards becoming a captain his senior year. He grew a lot last year from the leading standpoint of playing behind a lot of seniors. We look forward to him stepping up and taking over as a senior this year.”