This article was taken from the Sunday Gazette.  Josh Whitlock was a member of Baseball Factory’s B.A.T.S. program. Baseball Factory wishes Josh the best of luck as he heads to Surry Community College in North Carolina. 

Ripley baseball star Josh Whitlock had one thing in mind when he stepped to the mound in the third inning of the Class AAA state championship on June 5.

“Wow, I’m pitching in the state championship,” Whitlock said.

Not long after he pitched the Vikings to a state crown with victories in the semifinal and final, he learned of being named the West Virginia Sports Writers Association Player of the Year.

“That’s cool,” Whitlock said in a calm voice. “That’s surprising.”

It wasn’t only his pitching, but his leadership and hitting from the No. 3 spot in the Ripley lineup that earned the recent graduate the award. He compiled a 16-1 record, winning 14 consecutive decisions with a pair of saves, a 1.53 earned run average and 105 strikeouts and 44 walks in 88 innings.

“He probably won six or seven of those games in short relief,” said his coach, Ray Swisher. “Most kids can’t do that. It seems like he could pitch forever.”

Swisher’s star player throws several pitches for strikes, including a two-seam fastball which features movement that even Whitlock isn’t always aware of.

“Sometimes it’ll dive in and some days it’ll dive out,” Whitlock said. “That’s why [Ripley catcher Zeb Reed] wants to kill me sometimes.”

He has two breaking balls – a curveball and a slider – that both hang around the strike zone. Surprisingly, he’s not a particularly hard thrower, hitting the mid-80s on a good day, but seldom misses the plate and has given up only three home runs all season.

Something not everybody knows is that he fought off a bout with tendinitis.

“I didn’t feel like I was throwing hard near the middle of the season,” said Whitlock. “My elbow was hurting pretty badly every now and then. I was throwing a lot and wasn’t used to it.

“It didn’t hurt the second half of the season. I really didn’t get in shape enough early in the season.”

His hitting didn’t suffer, either. He batted .384 with six home runs, seven doubles, 24 runs scored and 40 RBI in 112 at-bats. Whitlock struck out a mere six times and only walked 10 times.

While he admits to not putting in enough time in the offseason in high school, that’s all changed as he hopes to further his career. It starts this fall at Surry Community College in Dobson, N.C. He hopes it continues to the Major League level.

“That would be nice,” Whitlock said.