Laramie Rangers' Ben Malone commits to Bryant & Stratton College

“We started talking, and I showed them my film,” Malone said Tuesday. “They ended up liking what they saw. They brought me down for a workout and gave me an offer. Coach Paul told me that he wanted to get to know me more as a player and person.”

Malone traveled to Virginia Beach for three days, where he got to see what life would be like on the East Coast. While in the 757 area code, Malone got a first-hand look at the team, its facilities, how it practices and how it trains.

The commitment comes after a season where Malone broke out offensively, hitting .291 over 163 plate appearances in 45 games while slugging a team-high .449% and a .881% on-base plus slugging (OBP). Malone displayed all five tools a season ago, hitting one home run and stealing eight bases while only being caught once.

Defensively, Malone finished with a .872 fielding percentage on 164 total chances. The Rangers shortstop had 76 putouts and assisted on 67 more, including a triple play with teammates Mason Branch and Tayton Moore.

Pitching isn’t Malone’s top skill, but he showed the ability to toss innings when Rangers coach Aaron Lozano called his number. Malone pitched 16 innings and appeared on the mound in 11 games, finishing with a 2-2 record.

Malone says Bottigliero communicated a plan to use him as a utility infielder with multiple innings at third and second base. Grateful for the opportunity, Malone chose Bryant & Stratton over schools in Arizona and Oregon.

“They said I’m a little small to play short,” Malone said. “I could get the opportunity if the team needs me there. They have confidence in my fielding ability and what I can do as an athlete. They are confident I can play wherever they put me.

“They have a good history of transferring players to four-year schools. My goal is to play baseball as long as I can, and with the help of the players and coaches there, they can develop me into a better player and athlete.”

Malone leaned on the support of his friends, family and coaches. He mentioned the Bobcats coaches telling him his college decision would be the second-most important of his life after whom he eventually marries.

During the offseason, Malone has tried to stay as locked in and dedicated as possible. He admitted getting lackadaisical toward the end of last season and not wanting to have a repeat of that.

“Every day, I’ve been lifting and hitting about 100 to 200 swings a day, minimum,” he said. “If you take any days off from baseball, you are getting worse. I’ve been working on my footwork and timing for fielding. I want to be a better player in every way than I was last year.”

Malone sat out the Plainsmen’s recent football season after acting as the team’s starting quarterback the year prior. As a junior, Malone was the No. 5 leading passer in Class 4A with 1,467 yards and a 13:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

“In reality, injuries are why I stopped playing football,” Malone said. “I got hurt my last year playing football, and it led to me getting hurt again during baseball. I didn’t think I would be 100% (committed) with football, and there was an opportunity for me to get recruited in baseball.

“I knew I wasn’t going to play football in college because of my size. I wanted to play baseball more, and it came down to injuries and opportunities.”

During his final football season, Malone sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. In the following baseball season, he dislocated the knee and sprained his patella tendon.

Malone says he remembers being out roughly four weeks and being forced to use crutches for most of that time. Malone felt pain in that area of his body until the end of the season, but his doctors assured him he could play through the pain, if it was tolerable.

“At that time, we weren’t playing the worst or the best baseball,” Malone said. “It was hard to sit from the dugout and see what was happening on the field and thinking to myself, ‘Oh man, maybe we could do better if I helped this kid in practice more or talked with him more.’

“It was more of a mental thing for me, because the knee dislocation just left a bone bruise. I kind of broke out hitting in a way, and I’m excited to see what I can do while playing a full season.”

Malone’s goal for the upcoming American Legion baseball season is to lead the Rangers to the state championship. He thinks Laramie has a true opportunity with key returners and a group of younger players Malone feels are talented enough to surprise people.

On a personal level, Malone wants to be in the conversation for player of the year honors.

“I feel like I am one of the top five players in the state,” Malone said. “This is my year to truly show up and show the state what’s up with the kids in Laramie.”