When Layne Ditto was anywhere on the baseball field, the Walnut Ridge Bobcats knew they had a chance to win.
In fact, they won 31 games in the recently completed season, including nine with Ditto pitching. For that reason, Ditto is the 2015 Three Rivers Edition Baseball Player of the Year.
A humble Ditto said he could not have had the season he did without his teammates and his coaches.
“I have to thank them just as much,” Ditto said.
Reciprocating that sentiment, Ditto’s head coach was complimentary of his senior leader.
“We’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of good teams and a lot of good pitchers, but Layne is as good a pitcher as we’ve had at Walnut Ridge in my 17 years here,” Bobcats coach Derek Bramlett said. “When he takes the mound, we feel like we’re going to win. And, for the most part, we normally did. He commands the strike zone with three pitches. He’s got a bulldog mentality. On the mound, he throws strike after strike, which keeps the defense in the game. We played so much better when he was on the mound.”
When he was not pitching, Ditto was playing shortstop for the Bobcats.
“While he may not be as quick and as athletic as some other shortstops, if he got to the ball and caught it, he throws a strike to first base,” Bramlett said. “Therefore, he makes every routine play. That is all you can ever ask for out of your kids.”
Ditto was 9-2 on the season in 18 appearances. He had two saves. He struck out 117 batters and walked only 16 in 72 2/3 innings. Ditto had a 1.93 earned run average as the Bobcats finished 31-5, losing to Junction City 1-0 in 8 innings in the second round of the Class 2A state tournament.
“We played good at the right times,” Ditto said. “We had a couple of bad games, including in the regional finals (a 2-1 loss to Riverside). We came back and won the first round of state (4-0 over Bigelow) and almost had a chance to beat Junction City. I feel like we had a pretty good season.”
In the loss to Junction City, Ditto pitched into the eighth inning when the Dragons scored an earned run with one out to get the win. Ditto gave up four hits and five walks while striking out nine. The Bobcats had only four hits themselves in eight innings. Ditto had two of those hits. For the game, Walnut Ridge stranded 14 runners on base.
“We battled with them,” Ditto said. “Both teams played hard. It was a pitcher’s duel. All I can say is that it’s baseball, and that happens.”
During the season, Ditto hit third in the lineup for Walnut Ridge. He notched a .435
batting average with 47 hits in 108 at bats. He had 10 doubles, two triples, a home run and 27 runs batted in.
“He did it all for us,” Bramlett said.
Ditto, who is currently playing American Legion baseball in Paragould, will continue his playing career at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge. The Eagles are members of the NAIA’s American Midwest Conference.
“I’m really excited to get started out there,” Ditto said. “I think it will be a great atmosphere. I know a lot of people who have gone out there, so that’s a plus.”
Ditto said playing close to home is a good fit for him.
“I always like to have my family come to the games and support me,” he said. “It gives them the opportunity to watch me play. It means a lot.”
Ditto said he plans to major in pre-pharmacy at Williams Baptist.
“Williams is a good fit for him,” Bramlett said of Ditto. “It’s like I told him, ‘You’re the best player for us; now go be the best player for them.’
“I think he’ll have a real good career there.”
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.