Editing Rick Ankiel (section)

==Early life and amateur career==
Ankiel was one of three children born to Denise and Richard Ankiel Sr. His father worked various odd jobs, was arrested 14 times and convicted 6 times by the time Ankiel was an adult. He described his father as very tough on him, making him run wind sprints if he swung at bad pitches in [[Little League]].<ref name="troubles">{{cite news |last1=Jordan |first1=Pat |title=A Mound of Troubles |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20010211mag-ankiel.html |access-date=31 March 2023 |work=[[New York Times Magazine]] |date=February 11, 2001}}</ref>

Ankiel attended [[Port St. Lucie High School]] in [[Florida]], where he went 11–1 with a 0.47 [[earned run average]] (ERA) during his senior season, striking out 162 batters in 74 innings pitched,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2001-02-07/2001-02-07-cover.htm | title=The playing fields offered an escape | publisher=USA Today | date=February 8, 2001 | access-date=March 6, 2014 | author=Nightengale, Bob}}</ref> and was named the [[USA Today High School Baseball Player of the Year|High School Player of the Year]] by ''USA Today'' in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=All-USA High School Baseball Team by USA Today|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/All-USA_Today_High_School_Baseball_Team_Award.shtml|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>