In his second season as a starter in the Hilltoppers’ weekend rotation, Ridings compiled a 10-3 record, leading the staff with 97.1 innings pitched and 98 strikeouts. He also led all starters with a 3.88 ERA. He earned second-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors after finishing with a 6-2 record in 10 league starts.
The Franklin, Tenn., native tossed a complete game against Florida International in early April, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out nine in a win over the Golden Panthers. Those efforts earned him Sun Belt Pitcher-of-the-Week honors. Ridings also had a pair of 10-stirkeout games to open the conference slate at both Louisiana-Monroe and South Alabama.
Ridings earned a spot on the Sun Belt all-tournament team after earning both a win and a save in the Toppers’ championship run. He threw seven shutout innings in the tournament opener against Florida Atlantic, allowing just four hits and striking out seven in WKUs 9-0 win. He then came back to throw three more shutout innings against the Owls to earn his first career save and get the Hilltoppers into the tournament championship game.
In just two seasons in a Hilltopper uniform, Ridings has compiled a 17-6 record already standing tied for eighth on the WKU career victories list. He also has 171 career strikeouts in 188.2 innings of work.
The 2008 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-American Teams will be announced later this week at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Ridings earned Ping! Baseball Freshman All-America honors following the 2007 season.
