There have been many great players to come through the league but there has seldom been a player with a greater reputation for success than Ryan Pritt. He is associated one thing and one thing only: winning. His first full season team in 2014 had a 20-0 run in the regular season before losing in a heartbreaker in the playoffs. The following year that team tore through the competition until they carried the trophy off the field at the end of the summer. And in his final year in 2016, he was an integral part of Sit On My Base to stave off the swell of competition that was attempting to upend them for the title. All of those three teams in those three years had one common ingredient that was absolutely vital for their success: Ryan Pritt. 

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The origins of Pritt's career is an unorthodox story compared to many in our league. He was handling the ad the Josh Smith put into the Charleston paper calling out to any prospective players as the HWL was attempting to expand into the Charleston area with a fall ball league in 2013. And thus, the short-lived Charleston Wiffle League was born. Pritt answered the call for players that he entered into the paper's ad section at Smith's request. However, the team Pritt put together (3 Guys & a Lefty, that featured Rob Stewart, Jeff Rider & Nick Scala) was only one of two teams (the other being Smith's team, Wiffle House). The Charleston Wiffle League was a bust and the fall season only lasted a handful of weeks but the display Pritt put on at the plate was immediately impressive. He sent many balls flying over the fence at Little Creek Park into the woods and out of sight for good never to be found. 

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At the conclusion of the CWL fall season it was evident that it was not going to work out, so Pritt and his team received an invitation to Huntington. It was an offer that was unclear would be realized given the two cities are an hour's drive apart. But again, Pritt answered the call and he brought with him an even better version of his team (which he trained all off-season in a gymnasium) to prepare for the better competition awaiting them near the Ohio River. It is at this point that Pritt's story blends from history to lore. He changed the team name to Breaking Balls when they officially joined the HWL in the 2014 season, a time in which the league underwent many exciting changes. He solidified the team's roster with the addition of slugger Matt Gordan and 2014 Cy Wiffle pitcher Drew McClanahan and together this team would take the league by storm and hold onto a #1 spot in the NWLA national rankings for several weeks that summer as they were untouchable that regular season with a stunning 20-0 record with Pritt leading the team as their captain. 

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Despite being undefeated the entire 2014 regular season, the Breaking Balls fell famously fell in the semifinals and didn't take home the title. The following year, Pritt and the rest of the team returned with limited roster capacity, and required Pritt to dig deeper on the field. While Pritt was an impressive hitter and fielder, rotation rules forced him to be on the mound more often to shine (a talent for which he was lesser known). His fielding skills and batting improved even more than the prior year, so much so that he received a Golden Hands award and Silver Slugger for his performances. Pritt's heightened play paired with his leadership doubtlessly led to the Breaking Balls taking the league title that year and solidified his reputation for excellence on the field. 

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2016 was a year full of calamity and Pritt was not seen during much of that season. Sit On My Base was in the lead of the season points system in that season's tournament format in the hunt to become the grand champion but a few teams were trailing not far behind and in position to overtake them. Pritt had seemingly retired and had not shown much interest in the season. But in the final tournament of the season, he laced up and showed up when it counted for Sit On My Base and performed masterfully and the team won the overall points system thanks to his abilities. Without Pritt, Sit On My Base would have likely finished as second overall and maintained their long-standing "bridesmaid" status in the league, so Pritt had a hand in breaking this curse. 

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In 2017, the league went through another great change and had a league draft and Pritt was drafted in the fifth round by the Wiffle Hit Wonders as a part-time player. While Pritt did make it clear with his part-time declared status that he would not be able to commit to much playing, the door was open to some playing. Unfortunately, Pritt would not field at all in 2017 - much to Wiffle Hit Wonders' chagrin. And a career underscored with excellence, awards and hardware was punctuated with an unceremonious end. Pritt remains one of the most successful team captains and players in league history, and it's impressive just how much of an impact he made in this league in just the three short years he played.