The Buffaloes’ senior first baseman is making up for lost time.

A severe ankle injury from basketball limited him to two at-bats as a freshman. He described his sophomore campaign on the JV team as “a rough year.” Richardson played sparingly to start his junior season, finishing with a .200 batting average, making three early pitching appearances in relief and struggling overall on defense.

“This is my make-or-break year,” he said, “and so far, it’s going really well.”

Now, he’s Manteca’s top hitter, a surprising stolen-base leader and the top RBI producer in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Richardson envisions a future for himself in the sport beyond high school, starting with Folsom Lake College next year.

“I feel like I always had it in me, I just needed to work on it,” Richardson said. “I thought about what my best qualities were this summer and probably worked harder than I ever had in my life. I improved by playing better competition in Southern California.”

Last week, he helped Manteca sweep Patterson, hitting .455 (5 for 11) over the three games with a .600 on-base percentage (9 for 15) with two doubles, a homer, four runs scored and six RBIs.

That has been a normal week for the strapping 6-foot-2, 225-pound Richardson. He had at least one hit in 16 of Manteca’s 17 games coming into this week

His .462 batting average and .582 on-base percentage for the season are team-highs, as are the 24 hits, eight doubles and seven steals. Richardson’s 28 runs driven in ranks him No. 1 in the SJS and fourth in the state.

“Just making sure I do my job,” Richardson said. “The guys ahead of me are getting on base, so I have to do what I can to produce for my team, build confidence for myself and my teammates.”

That confidence has translated on defense, where he perhaps has seen the most improvement. So far, he has committed just one error with a .991 fielding percentage in 116 total chances.

“That was the main reason I didn’t play much last year was because of my fielding,” Richardson said. “I’m just making sure to have quick feet and take good steps. What changed was me taking more pride in being a good defender, and allowing my pitcher to have confidence in me when he needs it.”

With Richardson doing his part, the Buffaloes are again in the middle of a heated race for postseason spots in the Valley Oak League, which has four teams ranked in the top 12 in the section by MaxPreps — No. 1 Central Catholic, No. 6 Manteca, No. 10 East Union and No. 12 Oakdale. Richardson and the Buffs (6-4 COL, 13-5 overall) will look to even their three-game series with Oakdale (8-2, 12-4) at home today.

“We want to make a good run in the playoffs.” Richardson said. “Last year, we gave a way a game (in the SJS Division III quarterfinals) against a good team in West Park. We want to make a run and make a name for ourselves.”