35Argyle’s title repeat is twice as nice
COLLEGE
& HIGH
SCHOOL
AWARDS“That, to me, is the biggest impact that
he has had on me as a coach and to our
program... This is the best high school
player in the country, yet he’s the first
here, he’s the last to leave, he’s going to
pick up trash, he’s going to help others—
he does it right. And you have others who
are benefiting from seeing that.”
Now, with a state championship
secured—and after one-upping his
father in the draft—Witt is ready for the
next part of his baseball journey.
He’s ready to start checking off more
of those boxes.
“(I’m still) kind of taking it all in,”
Witt said, “but obviously I want to keep
getting better day in and day out. Kind
of like how Mike Trout is. He’s the best
in baseball right now and he’s getting
better each and every year. That’s what I
want to do.
“No matter what step it is in pro ball,
try to get better and better and eventu-
ally, hopefully, one day make it up to the
big leagues and just play.
“Be the best teammate I can be, be
there for my team and try to get that
team a World Series.” n
The early years of Ricky Griffin’s career
as head baseball coach at Argyle (Texas)
High weren’t exactly filled with trophies and
accolades.
From the start, he aimed at the long-term
goal: developing a program for the future.
In recent years, that vision has become a
reality. The Eagles won the 4A state cham-
pionship in 2015 and added an undefeated
title in 2018.
Then in 2019 they claimed their third
state championship on his watch and were
named the Baseball America High School
Team of the Year.
“We started getting good players, we
continued to get them and they continued
to develop,” Griffin said. “They did a ton of
work on their own... to be able to get their
talent to where it needed to be, and now
we seem to have kids committed to do that
every year.”
Argyle finished this season with a 40-1-1
record and won its last 28 games, but this
season has been rewarding in many ways.
Griffin joined the Argyle coaching staff in
2007, when his son Storm was a freshman
pitcher on the team. This year, Griffin won
his first state championship with Storm by
his side on the coaching staff.
“I’m obviously in the fourth quarter of my
career,” Griffin said, “and to be able to spend
the last part of it here with my son coaching
next to me means a lot.”
Argyle has been one of the most domi-
nant high school teams in the country since- However, the 2019 season will always
hold a special place in Griffin’s heart, thanks
to the seniors on the team who have proven
their resilience.
“Their sophomore year, we got beat in
either the regional quarterfinals or semifi-
nals,” Griffin said. “They got together on their
own, away from me, and made a commit-
ment to each other that they weren’t going
to settle for finishing the season before they
got to play in the state tournament.”
“The next two years, that’s what they did.
They took us to and won two state champi-
onships.”
Griffin said this year’s title was more
rewarding because of the expectations they
faced.
“We played with a target on our back all
year long,” Griffin said.
Argyle has 10 players who are either com-
mitted to or signed with Division I colleges.
The Eagles have been led by seniors Dillon
Carter, an outfielder committed to Texas
Tech, and second baseman Brenden Dixon,
a Texas commit.
Most of the seniors on this year’s Argyle
team have been with Griffin for all four
years. He credits the upperclassmen for
being leaders who bring the group together
based on a shared desire to win.
“They’re such a tight group,” Griffin said.
“They’re all close friends and they’re togeth-
er off the field.”
All of the joy of the 2019 season comes at
a price for Griffin. He now has to say good-
bye to the players who worked so hard to
be successful.
“It was awesome to finish the way we did,
but also bittersweet because I’m going to
really miss them, both as kids and as play-
ers,” Griffin said.
“The impact that they’ve had on our pro-
gram, you know, I can’t say enough.”—Jared McMastersHIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEARTexas high school
shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
entered the season as
the top prep prospect in
the nation and was the
first high school player
drafted in June, when
the Royals selected him
No. 2 overall. In so doing,
he one-upped his father
Bobby Sr., a righthander
who was drafted No. 3
overall in 1985.Argyle High won
back-to-back
Texas state 4A
championships
thanks to the
long-term vision
of head coach
Ricky Griffin,
who helped
mold a hard-
working team
into consistent
winners with
help of his son
Storm, a former
Argyle pitcher.