LAKE STEVENS – With a well-rounded game honed on the fields of Lake Stevens and Powdersville, South Carolina, Chase Ridder will be continuing his baseball career on Seattle’s Capitol Hill next season.
The 5-foot-10 Ridder signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Seattle University earlier this month.
Ridder, who plays second base for Lake Stevens alongside fellow D1 commit Justin Brown (Washington State) in the middle infield, will transition back to shortstop for the Redhawks, who currently sit in second place in the WAC standings.
Ridder grew up in Lake Stevens but moved to Powdersville, located in the northwest corner of the Palmetto State in suburban Greenville, when his father received a new military posting.
He played for Powdersville High through his junior season, after which he was named the team’s most dedicated player and led the Patriots to their first-ever postseason victory.
Lake Stevens coach Rodger Anderson said Ridder’s father had some choices about where he would be posted following the family’s stay in South Carolina, but Chase wanted to return to the Pacific Northwest.
“He wanted to come back here and graduate and play with all the kids he grew up playing with,” Anderson said. “We were worried about who was going to play second base after we graduated 10 seniors last year, but one of the kids said, ‘Chase is moving back. He’ll play second.’ It’s been great for us.”
Anderson said Ridder’s exposure to more elite pitching in the baseball hotbed of South Carolina has helped his progress since returning to Lake Stevens.
“It might be just because of his athletic ability, but Chase seems to do fine against better pitching,” Anderson said. “We’ve brought in college and pro guys to our practices and he’s not intimidated by anybody. I don’t know if that’s him or some of the experience he’s had.”
Chase’s dad has been commuting the 80 miles back and forth from Lake Stevens to Joint Base Lewis-McChord since the family’s return.
The decision has paid dividends for Ridder, Lake Stevens and Seattle U.
“We found out about Chase a few weeks ago, and after just watching a couple of games, what stood out to me the most is how hard he plays the game every pitch on both sides of the ball,” Seattle pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Elliott Cribby told goseattleu.com. “He will bring us competition immediately at the shortstop position.”
Ridder bats leadoff for the Vikings and has been a catalyst for a Lake Stevens squad that despite its sixth-place standing in Wesco 4A, have played inspired baseball at times this year.
They came as close as any team to ending Snohomish’s unbeaten season, taking the Panthers to extra innings on Tuesday before losing 3-2 on a throwing error in the eighth. Snohomish beat the Vikings 2-0 on Friday to complete the series sweep.
Anderson added that in addition to his strong throwing arm and skill at the plate, Ridder also brings game-changing speed to the table.
“He told me that as a junior in South Carolina (last year) he stole 17 bases,” Anderson said. “That’s more than our entire team over the last two years. He’s one of the fastest kids I’ve ever coached, and his speed will play a big role at the collegiate level. He’s always going 100 miles per hour and just makes things happen. He creates havoc at the top of the lineup.”
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