A starter at shortstop since his Freshman season, Ryan Elble of East Grand Rapids is certainly well known to West Michigan High School Baseball readers.

One of the the top hitters in the area, Elble hit .402 as a Freshman and .474 as a Sophomore.

In addition, in his Sophomore season Elble helped the Pioneers win a Division II State Championship.

In the State Tournament that season, he hit .650 and won the Quarterfinal game with a walk-off home run.

No stranger to State Championships, Elble was the starting quarterback for East’s State Championship football team that won it all last season.

He is leading the Pioneers again this year as they go for their 5th straight State Title.

His Junior season on the diamond was a great one as well. Elble hit .452 with 8 home runs, 13 doubles and a triple. He added 37 RBI’s, 20 stolen bases and 23 walks while being hit-by-pitch 11 times.

For his efforts, Elble was named All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and Second Team All-State in 2010.

Elble played this summer for the top Diamonds team coached by Billy Peterson.

On this team, Elble played along side some of the best players in West Michigan, including fellow “2011 Players to Watch” Mitchel Patterson and Robby Enslen, as well as graduated seniors Zak Wilkerson, Alex Lakatos, and Jerry Ferris.

Playing at the top level of summer baseball has prepared Elble for playing at the collegiate level. But, he will have to decide if it will be baseball or football at the next level.

Elble feels his best opportunities may be in baseball and we look for him to continue his athletic career on the diamond in college.