If you were to make a list of the most difficult, important positions in sports, a baseball pitcher would have to be near the top. Luckily for the Mountain Ridge Sentinels, they had a stellar player filling the position. 

Mountain Ridge senior Grayson Riding sent away 42 batters this season, making him a difficult pitcher to hit against. Riding had 16 strikeouts a year ago as a junior while compiling a 3-0 record. His efforts helped the Sentinels go 16-9 during the regular season and tie for third place in a challenging Region 2. 

“Grayson has been great for us, leading us on the mound,” head coach Brock Whitney said. “His leadership at practices and games, along with our other seniors, has been the biggest thing that I have noticed between years past and this year. He has embraced that role as well. It has been fun to watch how he has improved over the years, as he is a multiple-year contributor and has proven that hard work pays off.” 

Like his teammate Stockton Fowlks, Riding will take his talents to the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls next season to play at the next level. Riding loved his time on the Mountain Ridge team and will always be appreciative for the experiences he had as a Sentinel. 

“We have a very competitive team where winning is important to all of us,” he said. “We all work together, and you truly never know who is going to step up in any game. It’s really fun to be a part of.”

Riding started playing baseball at the young age of 4. As a child, he spent a lot of time playing catch with his father, a person whose love for baseball rubbed off on his son. 

“I instantly fell in love with the game,” Riding said.

By age 7, he was on a competitive team, the Utah Marshals. At age 14, he joined Mountain West Academy where he continued to hone his skills. 

Baseball has offered Riding a healthy outlet, he said. He loves the emotions of the game and being able to compete on a big stage. He has never shied away from facing a difficult opponent or confronting a daunting situation, even when the stakes were high.

“I love the adrenaline rush and the pressure that competition gives me,” he said. “I truly love this game and I can’t imagine not playing. High-level competition gives me an opportunity to level up my game. I am constantly trying to find different ways to become more successful than my last outing.”

Riding said he has a strong work ethic and does what it takes to get better and be successful. Whether it’s at a game or practice, he’s determined to do things right and always be at his best. 

Going forward, Riding is determined to develop his game even more and get better about the mental side of competing. He has put a lot of focus on having a good mindset and perspective. 

“I want to improve my mental game,” he said. “I am hard on myself and over-analyze things. The mental side has always been a challenge for me and comparing myself to other athletes. As athletes, many of us expect perfection out of ourselves in a game that breeds failure. This year, I’ve done a lot of work to stay mentally strong and only compete against myself for my personal gains.”

In the Region 2 standings, Mountain Ridge finished tied for third in a close race. The Sentinels were 9-6 in league play in what was a close race between four teams at the top. Though Mountain Ridge lost six region games, every defeat was close, never losing by more than two runs. On the other hand, Mountain Ridge had its share of close victories, too. The Sentinels had seven wins in region action by a single run and another victory by two runs, proving that the team was good in the clutch. 

Riding and his teammates were good defensively, only allowing two region foes to score more than nine runs in a game. As of May 17, the 18-10 Sentinels had allowed a total of 140 runs, an average of just five runs surrendered per game. 

After graduation, Riding is grateful that he’ll have the chance to not only continue his baseball career but to further his education. The fact that he’ll get to play with his longtime teammate Fowlks is a bonus. λ