Wake County star, ranked No. 1 in nation, is NC high school baseball player of the year
Despite the coronavirus pandemic stopping the baseball season early, Gatorade has continued its tradition of naming a state player of the year.
The top player in North Carolina is Leesville Road’s Ryan Clifford. Leesville High School is in Raleigh.
A 6-foot-3, 210-pound sophomore outfielder, Clifford is ranked No. 1 nationally in the class of 2022 by Prep Baseball Report and No. 2 by Baseball America.
He is the only player in the class of 2022 to make the USA Baseball 17U national development team. Clifford is a two-time gold medalist with USA Baseball youth teams.
In four games this spring with Leesville Road, Clifford hit .692 with 10 runs scored, 12 RBI, three home runs and 1.692 slugging percentage. As a freshman, he hit four home runs, drew 23 walks in 21 games and had a .526 on-base percentage.
The Gatorade award recognizes athletic excellence and also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character.
Clifford, who has a 3.95 GPA, has volunteered locally as part of community beautification projects and as a youth baseball coach. He has also donated his time at WakeMed Children’s Hospital.
“Even with all the hype about him, Ryan goes out and works every single day,” said Jake Jones, head coach of Leesville Road High. “At practice, I hit him fly balls and ground balls until he hardly can’t breathe anymore. After that he goes and hits. He stops practice sometimes (with his long drives). People walking by the field stop and watch him take batting practice.”
