No. 1 teams remain the same in all five polls

No changes at top of polls

Warhorses remain undefeated in Region 6-AA with come-from-behind win

Devore gets called third strike to end game with tying run on base

Kason Herlong has big night both at plate and on mound to lead Wild Gators

Furse led Laurence Manning to AAAA state title game in both years as head coach

Indians improve to 2-0 in region to set up showdown with Northside Christian on Thursday

Stags improve to 3-0 in region with triumph

Pamplico – As the defending state champions in Class A softball, the Hannah-Pamplico Raiders have a target on their back in 2024. Nonetheless, this year’s team has enough talent and experience to make another run at the state championship, according to coach Amber Knight. “It was clear early in pre-season that the girls and coaching staff were feeling the pressure, coming off the programs first-ever State Championship Title win,” Knight reports. “We lost some key players from last year's roster, but the team has looked strong early on this year, currently sitting at 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in the region. “We have worked to establish the team as their own identity for the 2024 season, not a continuation of the 2023 State Champions. Our team looks different both in the field and at the plate, but as I have told the girls many times, different doesn't mean bad. We have a strong junior and sophomore class and two phenomenal pitchers that we think can take us back to the state championship playoffs.” Handling the duties inside the pitching circle are senior Isabella Davis and sophomore Kadence Poston. Each also plays first base when the other is pitching. In the early going, the duo has combined for 86 strikeouts and only six walks in the first 40 innings of the season. The first seven opponents managed just five runs. Lining up around the field defensively, junior Payten Poston is in centerfield while junior Jadan Lee is the shortstop. Sophomore Meredith Stone is the catcher and senior Madison Rodgers plays second base. Sophomore Chloe Cooper is the normal starter at third. Sophomore Savannah Owens starts in left and senior Karah Turner is in right. Adding depth defensively are freshman Allie Nettles (OF, 2B), sophomore Khloe Jones (OF, SS) and eighth-grader London Lee (3B/C). Offensively, Lee is the top performer, hitting .429 with three homers and 15 RBI in the first seven games. Lee hit .518 with 19 RBI last season. Owens batted .333 early on while Stone was at .294 and Poston at .386. Davis also is a capable hitter, hitting .362 last season. “Offensively, we have played well and have put up good numbers, we just haven't started stringing hits together to create those big innings,” Knight said. “A strong start to the season has the coaches optimistic. We are in a good place to make a run for the region title, hit our stride in the playoffs, and hopefully return to the state playoffs in late May.”

Lake View – After coming up short in their bid for a Class A state championship a year ago, the baseball program at Lake View High is hoping for another shot in 2024. The Wild Gators lost to Southside Christian in the Class A finals, a best-of-three format, after winning the Lower State title. Winning state championships is nothing new for the program. Under veteran coach Kip Herlong, the Wild Gators have won eight state championships and the coach recorded his 600 th career victory early in the 2024 campaign. “It’s a good accomplishment but it basically means I have been able to do this for a very long time and we’ve had some great young men come through our program,” Herlong said recently. The coach says milestones are something he will likely cherish after his career is complete and winning games in the past does not replace the sting of losing in the championship. Herlong feels his 2024 team is capable of another run through the Lower State but insists his team is not the favorite. “Some good Class A baseball teams in the Lower State and it’s a real dogfight every year,” Herlong said. “We have a good group this year. They have worked hard. We have some kids who are in their fourth or fifth year in the program and they understand what it takes in terms of work and effort. This team has good senior leadership and those four or five guys want to go out in style. We return all but three starters, but those three that we lost were really good players.” Lake View is out of the gate in a good way this spring. After losing their season opener, the Wild Gators entered spring break on an eight-game winning streak, including a 3-0 start in region play. Herlong says his team will not participate in any spring break tournaments but will have games against Lamar and Carver’s Bay to stay sharp. Herlong feels he has four quality arms to anchor the pitching staff. Logging most of the innings on the mound are juniors Chris McGill and Kason Herlong, senior Luke Price, and sophomore Chase Price. McGill has notched four early wins with a 0.87 earned run average. Luke Price and Herlong each have two wins. “I think pitching and defense will be our strengths,” the coach said. Herlong (.517) and McGill (.414) also rate as two of the leaders offensively. Luke Price is hitting .400 early and sophomore second baseman Ian Capps is hitting .385 through the first nine games. Senior Tucker Bass returns behind the plate with junior Braydon Borders also seeing action. Bass also can play in leftfield. McGill and Chase Price hold down first base while Herlong is the shortstop. Luke Price and Chase Price share duties at third base. With Bass working in left, seniors Parker Ammons and DJ Hardee hold down center and right, respectively. “We don’t have a lot of burners on the basepaths but we try to be sound in what we do,” Herlong said. Lake View faces stiff competition within the region with solid teams at Green Sea Floyds, Latta and Hannah-Pamplico. The Wild Gators needed nine innings to beat Latta, 8-7, and beat Green Sea Floyds, 3-2, the first time around. “It’s a very competitive region and any team truly can win on a given night,” Herlong said. “It’s important that we continue to work and improve. We need to come around a little more offensively and I am starting to see some positive signs. Just have to keep working at it.”

Former Monarch third baseman hopes steady JV team will solidify program

Lake City – Long-time head softball coach Scotty Phillips knows his tenure at Carolina Academy is winding down. However, the 61-year old Phillips would love to see his current team through for the next few years. Phillips feels he has a team capable of making a serious run at championships, though it may not be in 2024. The coach has one of the youngest varsity teams in SCISA Class AAA, a roster with no seniors, no juniors and only three sophomores. In fact, Carolina Academy had to petition the SCISA powers that be to allow seventh-graders to participate on the varsity level so they would be able to field a team this spring. “We’re young, really like a junior varsity team playing a varsity schedule,” Phillips says. “Our jayvee team is basically a b-team. We’re very young across the board.” Youthful enthusiasm, says the coach, can be an advantage. “They have a lot of energy and they work and play hard,” the coach said. “They’re a pretty talented little group. I think this team has a lot of potential and I am excited to see where they end up in a year or two. They are competing.” While wins have been hard to come by (the record heading into spring break is 3-6), the Lady Bobcats are competitive in most every game. Among the early wins was a victory over perennial state title contender Williamsburg Academy. Carolina Academy is well-stocked with young pitching potential. Sophomore Raeley Frye is the top performer inside the circle and continues to show steady improvement. “The biggest thing with her is consistency,” Phillips says. “She is really good and can mix up the pitches. When she’s consistent early in the count, she can be very tough. She has a great future.” Eighth-grader Lauren Sims and eighth-grader Ella Ham also get work inside the circle. Sims also plays third base defensively while Ham is the starting centerfielder. Behind the dish is sophomore Carly Ann Smith, a returning starter from last season. Eighth-grader Lexi McCutcheon is starting at first base while seventh-grader Paisley McCutcheon is working at second base. One of the top offensive threats is freshman shortstop Kelsie Smith, who is hitting around .500 with three homers early on. “She’s a player, a really good hitter that’s going to be something to watch for the next few years,” Phillips said. Seventh-grader Natalie Brayboy is starting in leftfield while eighth-grader Paisley Coker and sophomore Jennifer Vargas are sharing time in right field. Sophomore Hannah Grace Matthews also is seeing some work as an outfielder. “This is going to be a good team,” Phillips predicts. “We just need to grow, get stronger and keep improving. Varsity softball is a lot different than junior varsity softball.”

Johnsonville – A 3-3 start to the regular season, along with a championship in a preseason tournament, has Johnsonville High softball coach Walter Clark feeling good about his team’s chances of being a strong contender in the Class A postseason. “We’re good enough to be competitive with every team that we play,” Clark said. “We have some good players back so experience is a strength for us. Offensively I think we can hit enough to create some runs. We seem to be solid defensively and we have solid pitching.” The Flashes split two key region games with East Clarendon, leaving the teams in a tie for the region lead. It’s not likely either will lose a region game the rest of the way. “We had two really close games with them,” Clark said. “They beat us by two runs and we beat them by a run, We led the game we lost in the sixth inning so we had a chance. They are a good team and we competed with them down to the end.” After spring break, Johnsonville will test themselves against the defending Class A state champions from Hannah-Pamplico, which Clark says will be good preparation for the state playoffs. Clark entered the season having to replace four seniors and has infused some young talent with a handful of veteran performers. Two of the three starters in the outfield – leftfielder Kristin Smith and rightfielder Chloe Cribb – are seniors. Sophomore Brianna Lawrimore is the starter in center. Freshman Payton Wall is starting behind the plate and was a starter last season. Wall is hitting .476 early on this spring. Freshman Mallory Prosser is playing first base and is hitting .432 with two homeruns early on. Sophomore Allison Eaddy is starting at second and has shown potential offensively. Junior Blair Coker is a third-year starter at shortstop and a returning all-state selection. Coker is hitting .410 early on. Senior Nicole Cook hits leadoff and plays third base. Cook was the starter in centerfield last spring but has been strong defensively in her new position while hitting .438. Inside the pitching circle, sophomore Natalie Taylor is the number one performer, posting a 1.56 earned run average early on. Prosser and Wall also see time as pitchers but Taylor and Prosser are the top two. “I am excited to see how far we can go with this team,” Clark said. “Hopefully we can continue to improve and be playing our best ball when it counts. There are some good teams to contend with in the Lower State but I feel like we can compete with anyone if we play to our potential.”

James Island – Armed with a young but talented group this spring, James Island head baseball coach Matt Spivey sees the potential for great things in 2024. The Trojans are considered one of the top five teams in Class AAAA this season, along with defending state champion Catawba Ridge, defending Lower State champion North Myrtle Beach, Laurens and Airport. The Trojans have yet to lose a game through 13 outings, winning 12 games and posting a 0-0 tie against Lugoff-Elgin in a preseason tournament. Spivey, now in year seven as head coach, has perhaps his best team yet. “We’re still a relatively young team but I knew we had a chance to be competitive,” Spivey said. “I’m not sure I expected us to be this good but I think this is a team full of competitors. They love to play and they have played very hard so far.” James Island counts early season wins over Summerville and Hanahan, while also notching wins over AAAA contender Eastside and AAAAA Ashley Ridge. Offensively, some of the top early performers include sophomore shortstop Taj Marchand (.448), junior catcher Stow Rogers (.343) and junior corner infielder Jake Amman (.531). Senior Grayson Bennett leads the team with 13 RBI. Amman has driven in 11 runs while Marchand has nine RBI. The Trojans are hitting right at .300 as a team but the offense is successful in several areas. “This is probably the most competitive offensive team I’ve had,” Spivey said, “We have good gap to gap power and we run well. Our speed allows is to put pressure on teams defensively. We have guys that grind out at bats. They don’t give away anything. They bunt, run, play smart.” Anchoring the pitching staff is senior Kyle Stock, with solid help from junior left-hander Collin Anderson and a bevy of other arms. Stock has a 0.35 earned run average in his first 20 innings of work. Anderson is at 1.11 in 19 innings. Each has three early wins. Marchand has yet to allow an earned run in 11 innings of mound work. James Island was ranked fourth in the most recent AAAA poll by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association. Most consider the Trojans the top team in the Lowcountry amongst all classifications. But, while appreciative of the notoriety for his program, Spivey knows polls in March and April are not important in the grand scheme. How his team plays in May will determine their ultimate ranking. “The rankings are good recognition for our kids and how hard they work but they really don’t mean anything,” Spivey said. “We all know that the playoffs are what matters and it is important that we continue to improve. To be honest, we don’t practice well. They show up ready on game day but I keep telling these guys we have to practice better.”

Little River – The North Myrtle Beach high baseball program has been knocking on the door of a state championship in recent years. The hope is they kick down the door in 2024. The Chiefs took a major step last spring, winning the AAAA Lower State championship and reaching the AAAA state championship series. Unfortunately, the Chiefs lost the best-of-three series to Catawba Ridge. Nonetheless, reaching the state finals was a big accomplishment and with a solid cast of returning players this season, coach Brian Alderson has high expectations. “This team has lots of potential,” the coach said. “We will, I believe, definitely have the pitching to make a strong run again. My concern is defensively we have been sloppy at times. We have made 15 errors in our first nine games but 12 came in our one week two game series with West Florence. We have to play cleaner defensively because our pitching is good enough to give us a chance.” The Chiefs have won nine of their first 11 games this season, losing once to West Florence in a region 6-AAAA matchup and losing to AAAAA power Fort Mill in a preseason tournament. Alderson, now in his 10 th season, says some of the early issues defensively may be due to his team playing a little tight. “Everyone has told this team how good they are and I think maybe the pressure is building,” the coach said. “We just need to relax and trust what we are capable of doing. Just play the game. If we play good defensively we can compete with any team in the state.” Pitching is clearly a strength of this year’s squad. Led by junior righty Luke Roupe, a Vanderbilt commit, and 6-4 senior southpaw Josh Surigao, a Hawaii commit, the Chiefs have two of the top arms in the state. Adding depth is USC Upstate commit Austin Long, a senior, along with senior lefty Cody Rice and sophomore Sawyer Smith, a University of North Carolina commit. Smith also is the starting shortstop while Rice plays first base. Roupe plays third defensively. Junior catcher CJ Oxendine is strong behind the plate and has committed to play at Virginia Tech. Peyton Gallup sees time at third when Roupe pitches while junior Asa Board and Connor Helmecki work at second base. Junior Gabe Kuznik starts in right field with Campbell Kingston working in left. Mason Cox is the starter in center, moving over from leftfield. “Offensively, the top of the order has been pretty solid so we’re trying to get more consistent production from the bottom,” Alderson said. “The potential is there. We just have to keep working at it. These next few weeks will be really important for us.” In softball, coach Danny Susral has his team sitting at 6-8 overall and 3-3 in region play entering spring break. The Chiefs will play some spring break games before getting back into the regular season with several key region games upcoming. The bulk of the playing time this season is shared by underclassmen with only one senior, outfielder Mary Beth Carrick, seeing regular action as a starter. Handling the bulk of the pitching duties this season are junior Nealy Lockner and sophomore Sierra Bendik, who also share duties at shortstop. Lockner has four wins and Bendik has two. Lockner also is hitting ,343 early on. Junior Kiera Olson is working in center and hitting .414 early on. Sophomore Sadie Olson is catching and hitting .349, while sophomore third baseman Isabella Bruno leads the team in hitting with a .440 average and nine RBI’s. Sophomore Hadley Leonhardt is hitting .385 with nine RBI’s and sophomore Lily Carney plays first base and is hitting .440 with a team-high 11 RBI’s. Junior Ellie Joynson and sophomore Cheyenne Davis are playing second base.

Hayes returns to alma mater for first head coaching job

Kremer trying to build Knights baseball program

Marion baseball team starts 4-0 in Region 8-AA

EC softball team starts 7-5 in first year under Jason Newsome

Saints baseball team splits first six games

Auctioneers have six region games left upon return from spring break

Walterboro – As a former player in the program, Jermale Paige has a little extra motivation to see his Colleton County baseball team compete at a high level. The Cougars may not win every game but Paige feels his 2024 team does come to compete against a tough region 7-AAAA schedule. Entering spring break, the Cougars were 3-5 overall and 1-5 in region play. That includes two losses to James Island and two to Lucy Beckham, along with a split of two games with Hilton Head. The Cougars also have a win over Barnwell, a quality team in Class AA. “We have shown the ability to compete but depth, especially on the mound, catches up to us,” Paige said. “We played James Island, one of the top teams in AAAA, to a 2-0 game. We lost 6-4 in one game against Lucy Beckham. I feel like these guys come to play. We battle as hard as we can.” Paige feels like his team can manage a AAAA playoff berth with a good finish to region play after spring break. The Cougars have region series coming up with May River and Bluffton. The Cougars have two quality starting pitchers who compete well in every opportunity. Senior Bruce Carpenter tossed a complete game in the 2-0 loss to James Island. Fellow senior Daveon Varner is a returning all-region performer as a pitcher and shortstop. Senior Cameron Farnsworth returns as an all-region selection at first base and provides a lot of the power in the middle of the batting order. Senior Devin Miller plays second base and is proving to be a strong team leader and solid leadoff hitter. Working at third base is senior Desmond Brown, who is having a solid season offensively, according to Paige. Senior Jamari Manigo is playing centerfield and hits in the cleanup spot. Basketball star Brian Hamilton is starting in right field and brings great athleticism to the defense. He is committed to play basketball at Columbia International University. Junior Xavier Oxner is the starting leftfielder. Handling the catching duties is Brinton Tirei, a sophomore that Paige feels can be among the top defenders behind the plate in the region. “We don’t concern ourselves too much with our record because we play some tough teams,” Paige said. “I just want the guys to put in the work and try to compete. When we play to our potential we have shown we can compete.” The Colleton County softball team also looks to compete for a spot in the playoffs this season. The Cougars finished 25-4 a year ago but graduated several key performers. Colleton County is off to a 5-4 start this spring. Among the key returners from last season are Bailey Cox and Lanasia Sanders, both pitchers and infielders who hit over .400 last spring. Maggie Kennedy, Alexa Eversole and Briana Ohmer also were key players last season and return this spring.

Panthers off to 3-1 start in region play despite replacing seven starters

Lake View – With a fairly young team, the 2023 Lake View softball team managed 16 wins and were one of the last three teams remaining in the Class A Lower State playoffs. Coach Brandy Huggins was quite encouraged by how her young roster grew over the course of the season and ended up as a competitive unit. Huggins is hoping a roster full of returning players will mean her 2024 squad can take the next step. Huggins begins her 13 th season with a 195-83 career head coaching record. “We have a lot of experience and leadership returning on the infield and we hope to just get better each day at practice and each game we play.” While experienced overall, this year’s roster has only two seniors. Those two seniors are vitally important to the success of this year’s team. Raven Locklear is Lake View’s top pitcher and shortstop Emma King is the top returning offensive threat. Both have been a part of the varsity program since they were seventh-graders. Locklear finished last season with 14 pitching victories, recording 156 strikeouts with a 2.06 earned run average. She also contributed at the plate, hitting .418 with six homers and her 37 RBI’s lead the team. King finished 2023 with a .559 batting average, belting 11 triples with 36 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. “I hope to see much leadership from Raven and Emma,” Huggins reports. Two more key leaders are junior first baseman Hollie Scott and sophomore third baseman Kaleigh Blackmon, both returning starters. Scott missed about half of the season a year ago but finished with a .479 batting average. Freshman Chloe Cox will be the full-time catcher after splitting time between the outfield and the dish last season. Eighth-grader Hanna Coburn returns as the starter at second base. Freshman Zy’Kiara Waters returns in centerfield and junior Kaylynn Turner returns in left. Both were starters a year ago and gained valuable playing experience. Sharing time early in right field are eighth-grader Carleigh Matthews, eighth-grader Sarah Price and freshman Madilyn Hunt. Working as the designated hitter is freshman Maddison Strickland, who can also play first base. Seventh-graders Cannon Price and Sophia Rogers also will work as backups during their first varsity campaign.

Patriots return nine players from championship squad

Raiders baseball off to 7-4 start in first year under Mannie Wright

Girls team has 16 athletes in second year under head coach Tanika Bowman

Warriors posting big offensive numbers

Lions soccer teams off to undefeated starts in region play

Eagles have Region Player of the Year Tanner Lewis back

Hanahan - In the long and storied history of the state’s oldest spring break high school baseball tournament, the host of the Hanahan Invitational Tournament had never won the championship. That changed on Thursday night. Hanahan High defeated Berkeley, 12-5, to win the Steadman Division of the 54 th annual Hanahan Invitational Tournament (HIT), marking the first time the Hawks had been able to hoist their own trophy. Hanahan overcame an early 4-0 deficit, rallying for their 19 th win in 21 games this season. The Hawks are the top-ranked team in Class AAA and the defending Lower State champions. “I knew this team was special going into it and they played like it,” Hanahan’s first-year head coach Skylar Hunter, himself a Hanahan graduate, said. “I am proud of the way they played. It was definitely a good night. We definitely wanted to win this thing. It was a goal.” Hanahan sophomore centerfielder Sterling Coaxum was the tournament’s most valuable player, belting three home runs, including two grand slams, during the week. Berkeley struck for four runs in the top of the first inning, with Bryson Heath delivering two runs with a double and Gavin Gaskins scoring Heath with a double. Hanahan responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning as Riley Turner and Jacob Bunting delivered run-scoring safeties. Berkeley added a run in the second on Mason Salisbury’s RBI single, giving the Stags a 5-2 lead, chasing Hanahan starting pitcher Porter Sprovero. “If I’m being honest, with our guys, there really was no concern,” Hunter said of the early deficit. “We were playing a little flat so we had to dig into them a little bit, light the fire. They responded.” With his two top pitchers unable to pitch, Cox went with sophomore Keller Wofford on the mound. Wofford pitched admirably in his first-ever varsity start but ran out of gas in the third. He allowed three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Hanahan took advantage of two Berkeley errors and posted five runs in the third. Bunting tripled in two runs to trim the deficit to 5-4. Hanahan added three more runs in the frame to move ahead, 7-5. Hanahan put the game away with five runs in the fifth with Hunter Sprovero delivering a key two-run double. “Berkeley has a good team, well-coached, a lot of good kids. I like the fire and the passion they bring. I will take that,” Hunter said. Hanahan has much bigger aspirations this season, mainly winning the state AAA championship. The Hawks lost to Clinton in last year’s finals and have played like a team on a mission all season. Winning the HIT could serve as a way to get into a postseason frame of mind. “There’s two ways to go after this,” Hunter said. “You can use this as a hammock and just lay back and say ‘we did it,’ or you can use it as a spring board and keep moving,” Hunter said. “I know this group and I know they are very hungry. They have a chance to do something really big and I don’t see this group being satisfied.” Berkeley’s Connor Barham had two RBI’s and Gaskins delivered two doubles. Heath also tallied two hits for the Stags. Hanahan relief pitcher Ryan Ballard earned the pitching victory, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Berkeley reached the finals with a 6-3 win over Wando earlier in the day while Hanahan edged McCracken County, Kentucky, 4-3. In the Hatfield Division of the tournament, Great Bridge of Virginia defeated Western Branch of North Carolina, 9-5, in nine innings.

Golden Eagles still off to 8-1 start

Crusaders baseball team off to 2-2 region start

Bradley Anderson leads deep Predators pitching staff

Vikings still off to 9-4 start despite lots of inexperience

Silver Foxes baseball team off to slow start

Slaide Burd, Hayden Brooks leading the way for Eagles

Summerville – After a solid start to the 2024 season, the Cane Bay High Cobras opened region play and suffered a slump. Cane Bay went 1-5 in their first two region 6-AAAAA series of the schedule, getting swept in three close games by Wando and losing two of three to Stratford. In the final game before spring break, the Cobras pulled out a 3-2 win over Stratford to gain some momentum for the stretch drive of the season. The Cobras, 6-6 overall, will return after spring break with region series against Goose Creek and Berkeley and will secure a spot in the playoffs if they can take two of three against either opponent. Cane Bay participates in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament during spring break. Head coach Shane Todd has a mixture of seniors and underclassmen providing much of the playing time this spring. The lineup routinely includes at least four senior starters while most of the heavy lifting on the mound comes from juniors. The offense has struggled in region play to come up with the timely hits with runners in scoring position but the lineup does have potential to get hot. Senior CJ Myers had a good start to his season as the designated hitter and leads the team in hitting. Myers also can be used at first base. The middle infield tandem of shortstop Julius Minus and second baseman Connor Hirsch has been effective with Minus doing solid offensive work from the leadoff spot. Anthony Alvarez is the lone senior in the outfield while senior Ryan Brewington works as a pitcher and catcher, sharing backstop duties with junior Drew Grimm. The other two starting outfielder positions are shared by juniors Ethan Dodson, Jared Petty and Carson Newberry. All three left-handers see significant time on the mound as well, along with Brewington and Grimm. Senior lefty David Barajas also has worked on the bump. Junior Devon Hogue provides good power in the lineup while playing first base. Grimm has played a lot at third base. Working off the bench in various roles are juniors Drake Nichols, Chandler Berry, Noah Oswald, Braylen Waters, and Landon Velez. Todd feels the emergence of Brewington as a pitcher and a healthy Dodson can be a big boost on the mound down the stretch. Brewington has worked mostly in relief but will get a start during spring break. Dodson returned to the mound after a few weeks off and pitched very well in the win over Stratford. Cane Bay’s junior varsity team has won seven of their first nine games while the b-team is off to an 8-2 start.