With sports in his blood, senior Kelby Richardson is well known for his athletic talent.

Since Richardson was a young boy he has been playing baseball.

Richardson was on the same team with some of his close friends in his younger days.

The Iron Birds was the team name for Richardson and his friends Hunter Ortega, Wakley Bergner and Trey Coffman.

The River Cats, which consisted of Seth Scarbrough, Logan Knox, Beau Meshell and Austin Forsythe, were among their biggest foes.

Both teams considered themselves rivals according to Scarbrough.

“It was a big rivalry between the two teams,” Scarbrough said.

Richardson’s love for baseball continued as the teams joined to become the Marlow Outlaws.

To this day the boys are playing together and have become very successful and are currently ranked second in class 3A.

Although Richardson moved during the end of seventh grade and then returned to Marlow in the middle of his sophomore year, this did not interfere with his sports.

He began playing for the Outlaw baseball team his sophomore year and has been an asset for the team ever since.

“I believe Kelby is the most athletic kid in the whole state of Oklahoma. He is a natural, and anything he does he excels at.”

 –Trey Coffman

Kelby’s father, Jimmy Richardson, had a lot of influence on his son’s baseball career.

Graduating from Marlow High School in 1982, Jimmy played his first two years of baseball in a junior college then transferred to the University of Oklahoma where he also played baseball. He is now a scout for the Baltimore Orioles.

Richardson has hopes of continuing his baseball career into college just like his father. Kelby is the son of Jimmy Richardson and Melissa and Keith Patterson.