Mike Ridaught
Anthony Griffith added to his list of accomplishments before he finished his high school career in the red and white.
Griffith earned 2021 Class 1A-District 7 Player of the Year honors after helping lead the Williston baseball team to a region final appearance against eventual state champion Newberry.
“Anthony is the kind of player that is the first to practice setting up the field and on game nights is the last one to leave, making sure all team responsibilities are taken care of,” said Williston baseball coach Mike Bullock. “He is a fierce competitor and extremely mature for his age.”
The senior was 4-3 on the bump and finished with a 2.20 earned run average.
“On the mound, he knows his routine, gets ready for the game, and brings consistency every night,” Bullock said. “He is going to throw strikes with multiple pitches and keep the hitters off balance.”
In 11 appearances, he struck out 57 batters in 54 innings. Opposing hitters only batted .214 against the right hander.
“He gave us a chance to win every time he took the mound,” Bullock said. “He had confidence and our team had confidence when we knew he had the ball.”
Offensively, Griffith finished with 22 hits and 14 RBI in 2021. He also finished second on the team with five doubles and he also stole nine bases.
“He hit in the middle of our line up all year and is an extremely accountable player,” Bullock said. “Never misses any signs, runs the bases cleanly, and can handle the bat well enough for me to put on any part of our offensive game plan.”
Griffith said the thing he will remember most when he looks back at his high school experiences are “the memories and friendships I’ve made with my teammates and coaches and all of the fun experiences I’ve had in the past four years.”
His favorite high school sports moment was when the Red Devils (21-9) won the 2019 Class 1A state title during his sophomore season.
When asked what his favorite quote is, Griffith said, “Big time players make big time plays in big time games.”
Against Class 6A Lincoln (Tallahassee) this season he did just that, finishing the game 3-for-3.
Griffith plans to attend Lake-Sumter State College to play baseball and will work on obtaining his AA degree so he can pursue a degree in sports management.
This is the latest in our summer “Senior Spotlight” series recognizing some of the top area student athletes from the Class of 2021. To see the other players profiled in the series, click here.