Dorchester Academy Baseball Meets Disappointing End
By Mike Reed
Special Writer
St. George, SC - After competing in one of the toughest regions in SCISA class AA baseball, the Raiders of Dorchester Academy received an early and somewhat unexpected exit from the SCISA playoffs at the hands of Richard Winn Academy.
Coach Joey Canady, who led the Raiders to a 12-7 record overall and an 8-4 region mark, says the early exit one year after playing for the state championship was a tough pill to swallow.
“We didn’t show up,” lamented Canady last week. “We pitched well and relied on our defense all year, but we didn’t do either near as well in this series.”
Canady was also quick to praise the Eagles, a team that barely made the playoffs but put it all together at the right time.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to Richard Winn,” the coach said. “They played two really good games, and they have a good young team. We expected to go a little farther but our defense let us down, and here we are.”
Senior Nick McAlhany led the team in hitting this season with an average of .397, earning HSSR SCISA All-State honors for the second straight year. He also was selected to the all-region team, along with fellow seniors Brandon Bair, who hit .365 this spring, and pitcher/shortstop Grande Fender.
Senior Logan Bell and freshman Stokes Brownlee also performed well on the mound for the Raiders throughout the season.
Brownlee, Vance Collier, and Jordan Weathers will lead the new look Raiders next season, as almost the entire infield will have to be replaced.
“We are going to be a lot younger, but I think we will be okay,” says Canady. “We have a good group of guys that will be coming up from the junior varsity team. They are very capable. They’re just going to be young. This program has a good strong future and we are looking forward to it.”
Although disappointed in the way the season ended, Dorchester Academy is steeped in baseball and athletic tradition. With this new group coming through, SCISA should not look for too much to change in that area.
