An All-Sun Belt Conference selection each of the past two seasons, Ridings was drafted in the 25th-round in last year's MLB draft. Despite this Ridings opted to return to campus for his senior season and anchor the WKU pitching staff as they compete for another Sun Belt title. Check out his blog here.
Spotlight
Players of the Week Parker Dalton Texas A&M Aggies
Parker Dalton of Texas A&M came ready to play this season
from the first practice all the way to post season. And for
good reason, in 2006 Dalton was named the Big 12 Sportsman
of the Year. The award recognizes student-athletes who display
an exceptional amount of sportsmanship and/or community service
during the academic year. And “exceptional” seems
to be an appropriate word for senior infielder. Dalton has
been an exceptional person, an exceptional player, and an
exceptional representative of Texas A&M.
Dalton, a native from Houston, Texas, played a key role last
year in welcoming six Tulane athletic teams that had been
displaced by Hurricane Katrina. As president of the Student
Athlete Advisory Committee, Dalton helped organize multiple
events to help integrate the athletes into the Aggie community.
Dalton also contributed in many other programs, such as Toys
4 Tots and AggiesCan. All this willingness to help and volunteer
has come from his faith and commitment to others. The senior
has also been an active member of the Breakaway Prayer Team
and has led a bible study each week for over four years.
As a player, Dalton is as good as they get. The durable infielder
has started over 158 games in his career with the Aggies and
has played in 57 of their 58 games in 2007. He has been a
major contributor in terms of leadership, but also as a player.
Dalton is second on the team in batting average, hitting at
a .373 clip with 5 home runs and 35 runs-batted-in. He has
also been a serious threat on the base paths with 17 stolen
bases in 19 attempts. Dalton has helped the Aggies to a remarkable
42-16 record and a spot in everybody’s Top 20 for the
majority of the season.
The 2004 Marion Pugh Spirit Award winner will look to lead
his team this weekend in the Big 12 Tournament and perhaps
a bid into the NCAA Tournament as a regional host. As of Friday
afternoon, A&M was sitting 1-1 in the tourney.
Parker Dalton of Texas A&M came ready to play this season
from the first practice all the way to post season. And for
good reason, in 2006 Dalton was named the Big 12 Sportsman
of the Year. The award recognizes student-athletes who display
an exceptional amount of sportsmanship and/or community service
during the academic year. And “exceptional” seems
to be an appropriate word for senior infielder. Dalton has
been an exceptional person, an exceptional player, and an
exceptional representative of Texas A&M. 
