Published: May 04, 2008 11:28 pm            

Opponents at loss to solve Rowan’s Riddle

MOREHEAD — Rowan County High School softball coach Larry Slone knew right away he was witnessing an extraordinary talent.

Four years ago, Slone inserted a seventh-grader to pinch hit for a senior in the eighth inning of a tie game against Ashland.

“She drove a base hit to right-center to win the game,” Slone recalled. “At that point, you think you’ve got something special.”

Special indeed.

With several games remaining in her junior season, Riddle has already matched the state’s all-time home-run record with 30 despite missing her entire eighth-grade season because of an ACL injury.

These days, Riddle’s name is enough to send a shiver through coaches around the region and beyond.

Geoff Stewart, now in his 13th year as Boyd County’s coach, calls Riddle the best pure power hitter he has seen come through the area.

Stewart’s team was recently the victim of Riddle’s record-tying homer — also one of her most impressive blasts. With two outs in the eighth inning of a 5-5 game, Riddle hammered a pitch over the center-field fence at Boyd County’s roomy ball park.

“That might be the fastest I’ve seen a ball leave a field,” Stewart said.

“It probably went 235 (feet). I can only remember one other home run hit here since I have been coaching.”

Riddle’s milestone homer sailed through tree leaves and disappeared into

the dark, landing in a creek. But it couldn’t escape Riddle’s mother, Angie, who emerged with the muddy ball after a bit of an adventure.

She said a Boyd County fan helped her recover it.

“I walked down and around the fence,” Angie Riddle said. “A man was digging at the ball with a stick. It was stuck down in the mud. He said he didn’t think he could get it.”

But Riddle’s mother, who has helped collect every one of Amber’s high school home-run balls, was more optimistic about their chances.

“The man found a bigger stick,” she said. “I was able to step on a clump of grass, reached as far as I could and got it out of there. My shoes were all muddy.”

A shelf in Amber’s room at home holds all 30 balls, each of them numbered.

Before her Rowan County career is finished, the Riddles might need another shelf.

For Amber, it’s all about the fun of making contact at the plate.

“I love it,” she said. “There’s nothing like the feeling of hitting the ball just right and making something good happen.”

With Riddle, that’s frequently. Last season, she hit a state-record 25 doubles, along with 11 homers, in leading Rowan County to the 16th Region championship.

Riddle’s 30th career homer tied her with Megan Shadrick, who played for Hopkins County Central from 2000-06. Riddle has 11 home runs for the second consecutive year and needs one more to equal the state’s season record held by Yezmine Smith (Christian County, 2007) and Jenn Skaggs (Louisville Holy Cross, 2003).

That mark would already belong to Riddle this season, but two potential homers eluded her.

Her long drive in Rowan County’s home opener against Raceland appeared to leave Community Park but was ruled a ground-rule double. Later, in a tournament hosted by Covington Holmes, Riddle hit a shot on an adult softball field and the ball rolled to the 345 sign. Riddle easily circled the bases but was called out for failing to touch second.

Riddle and her teammates are currently settling into Rowan County’s new on-campus ball park. She hit two homers in the Lady Vikings’ first three games there.

“The fence is 200 feet all the way around and Amber doesn’t have to get a lot of the ball to hit one out,” Slone said.

He attributes Riddle’s outstanding power to a combination of good bat speed and hand-eye coordination, along with a lot of natural strength.

Rowan County’s veteran coach calls Riddle a once-in-a-lifteime player.

“If you stay around and coach 15-20 years, you may have one girl come along like that,” Slone said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of her success. It is her success, because she’s earned it with her dedication and work ethic. A lot of kids can come to the ball park and not learn anything, but she sees everything. Amber has a great feel for the game.”

Slone said Riddle has not nearly reached her potential.

“I think you will see some of that on the college level, and when she’s invited to try out for the Olympic team or U.S. team,” Slone said. “Some time in her career Amber is good enough to do that. I think she’s that good of a hitter.”

Riddle was batting .522 this spring — with zero strikeouts — heading into a tournament last weekend at Bryan Station. For her career, she has three grand slams and more than 150 runs batted in.

Home runs are nothing new to the Riddle family. Amber’s father, Brian, owned Rowan County baseball’s home-run record at one time and helped the Vikings reach the state’s Final Four in 1983.

Brian, a school board member at Rowan County, said Amber wanted to hit the ball from the time she was 3 or 4 years old.

“She gets mad at me if I don’t take her to a batting cage, or hit ground balls to her,” he said.

Riddle, a first baseman and catcher, is also a hit on the basketball court. She was named the 16th Region Tournament’s Most Valuable Player last season while playing forward for an under-sized Rowan County team that advanced to the State Tournament.

Softball or basketball, Riddle has a reputation for putting her team first and letting individual accomplishments fall where they may.

“I just try to have fun out there and win some ball games,” she said. “Our team is real close. When somebody is down, we try to pick each other up.”

Slone likes the slugger’s every-day approach.

“Amber is a fun kid with a good personality,” he said. “I can’t remember any day that I’ve seen her come to school or practice with a crappy attitude.”

In the summer, Riddle plays softball for the West Virginia Dusters travel team.

ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.