Burton junior third baseman and pitcher Ryder Biggs earned a selection to the UIL 2A Division 2 baseball state all-tournament team, which was announced on Sunday by the University Interscholastic League.
Each all-tournament team, which was selected by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, featured one player from all state semifinalists. The state finalists took precedence on the all-tournament teams.
Biggs earned his all-tournament selection after hitting for a .365 average in the postseason with 11 runs batted in on 15 hits, including five extra-base hits.
He began the playoffs by going 3-for-6 through two games in the bi-district round against Big Sandy. Biggs tallied three RBI and scored three times in Burton’s two-game sweep.
The junior also earned three hits in an area round doubleheader against Harper. Biggs scored four times in the twin bill sweep, including three games in a two-hit Game 2.
In the regional semifinals, Biggs spearheaded Burton’s Game 3 win against Flatonia with an efficient complete game on the mound. He threw seven innings of four-hit work, striking out two hitters and giving up just two runs. Biggs let his defense work efficiently behind him, leading to a 78-pitch outing.
He was included in the defensive work with seven fielding assists. Those assists, including five groundouts hit to him, marked a season high.
Biggs also added a mulit-hit game in Game 3 of the regional semifinals, which accounted for two of his three hits in the series. He also reached base on an error twice in Game 2, allowing Biggs to record two of his four RBI in the series.
In the regional finals against Shiner, Biggs went 1 for 7 at the plate through a May 22 doubleheader. His only hit came in the first inning of Game 1, which opened the scoring on an RBI single into left field.
The junior saved his best hitting series for the state semifinals against Overton. Biggs tallied five hits against the Mustangs, including a season-high three hits in Game 1.
He gave Burton a 3-2 lead in the third inning of Game 1 with a two-RBI triple. He later tallied a base hit in the fifth and came around to score and tie the game before the Panthers ultimately lost 8-5.
He also shined in Game 2 of the series with a 2-for-3 game. Biggs scored three times in Burton’s 6-0 win, which forced a third game.
The junior pitched in Game 3 of the series and earned four strikeouts in six innings of work. He kept Burton in a tight contest with one run allowed through the fifth inning, but allowed a three-run, inside-the-park home run to center field which gave Overton a 4-0 lead and eventually a ticket to the state title game after Burton only managed one run in the seventh.