When the Riggins take the field

It was a special moment and Ryleigh Riggin took special note.

The East Valley High School senior stepped into the pitcher’s circle during her team’s Greater Spokane League softball game with visiting University, but before she stared down her first Titan, she looked to her left. Playing first base for the Knights was her sophomore sister, Allie. She looked to her right and saw her freshman sister, Baily, playing third.

“It was pretty cool – there were the three of us all lined up across the infield,” she said. “What was even more interesting was that Morgan Manchester was playing shortstop and her sister, Bryana was playing second. One infield covered by two families. You aren’t going to see that every day.”

To put a family point on the situation, she said, a U-Hi batter ripped a shot down the third-base line.

“My first thought was that I hoped Baily could handle it,” Ryleigh said. “But she made a fantastic play on the ball and threw her out at first, no problem.”

Her smile gets bigger as she tells the story.

“I thought to myself, ‘Hey, that’s my sister who just did that – and she’s just a freshman!’ ” she crowed.

It’s not surprising to see the three sisters all together on a ball field. Baseball is one of their earliest family memories and softball memories are many. Dad Ray Riggin is a former head baseball coach at West Valley.

Brother Brett, a 2006 East Valley graduate, returned to pitching this spring at Spokane Falls Community College after Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow.

“Oh, yeah – we were always going along to watch our brother, Brett, play baseball,” Allie explained. “Or to watch our dad’s teams.

“We all got into playing softball and Dad always helped coach us, but he had to learn fastpitch. I still remember him looking at us and saying ‘OK, this is a different game.’ “

These days, summer league fastpitch softball is a family affair.

Ray coaches all three daughters on one team. Brett frequently serves as first-base coach and mom Donna is the team scorekeeper – a job she also does for the school team.

Getting the sisters three together on the EV varsity, however, took some doing.

“I kind of got burned out on softball after eighth grade,” Ryleigh said. “To be perfectly honest, I was a little afraid of playing varsity ball. Besides, I’ve always kind of tried to go my own way. I’m a band geek and I’m really into my music.”

She concentrated on marching band and spent a season as the baseball team’s manager so she could better watch her brother’s senior season.

Friends began trying to coax her back last year. Kurt Krauth, the varsity coach, closed the deal.

“I have Mr. Krauth for class and he talked me into coming out,” she said. “He told me to come out and have fun. He promised that, if I was wasting my time, he’d tell me.”

Despite the two-year layoff, pitching came back quickly. It helped having a little sister, Baily, who plays catcher.

“I was always happy when she’d ask me to go out and work with her,” Baily said. “I may have grumbled about it at the time, but I was always glad she asked.

“She really picked it up again fast. And the improvement she’s made from last year to this year is really impressive. Her velocity is up and she’s picked up some new pitches.”

After spending her freshman season playing for the junior varsity, Allie figured to come up to start at third or first base this season. Baily decided the chance to play together was something she did not want to pass up.

“I played soccer with the Manchester sisters and they have such great chemistry together,” she said. “That was where I really decided that I wanted to play on the school team with my two sisters. I really worked hard and concentrated on making myself the best player I could be so that I might get the chance to play on the same team with them.”

Baily is the team’s utility player this season, dividing her time between varsity and JV. She plays wherever she’s needed. Others’ injuries have increased her playing time.

“It’s a challenge playing that role,” she admitted. “I had a game where I was suited up and ready to start at shortstop for the JV team when Coach Krauth came over and told me he needed me to play with the varsity. I had to run and change uniforms. I got back just in time to start the game – I never did have a chance to properly warm up.”

That, coupled with playing against some of the state’s top fastpitch hurlers, has been a challenge.

“On the one hand, I kind of hope I play with the JV on some of those days, like when we play (defending Class 4A state champion) Shadle Park. But at the same time there’s a part of me that really wants to step in there against the very best to see how I do. But it’s scary. I’ve seen pitches from them that I’ve never seen before.”

It helps to have family in the dugout – teammates you can always count on to give it to you straight. Teammates who only want to see you succeed.

“It’s really good to have my sisters in the dugout this year,” Allie said. “For starters, we can talk to one another in a way that other people can’t. Sometimes we can be pretty blunt, but we know where one another are coming from and we listen. We know we’re all just interested in being the best player we can be.”

The candor, she says, was forged over long hours together, practicing.

“We have a batting cage in the backyard, so we’re always out there working to get better,” she said. “We borrow the pitching machine from school and set it up out there and practice hitting off it all summer long.”

It helps that they’ve all learned the game from the same coach.

“It’s something we all have in common – learning the game from our dad,” Ryleigh said.

While she has no plans to continue softball beyond this season, Ryleigh looks forward to more family softball.

Will there come a day when the whole family plays coed softball together?

“I have no doubt about that at all,” she laughed.