Cane Bay wraps up busy spring

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR HANAHAN – Hanahan High School’s baseball team waves goodbye to seniors Riley Ballard , Joe Furse and Garrett Brown after finishing the 2025 campaign in the Lower State championship game this spring. Ballard, a Citadel signee, missed a portion of the season but was the Hawks’ ace when healthy. Furse, who batted leadoff and patrolled the outfield, garnered all-region and all-state nods, and Brown contributed to the infield. “It was an awesome season,” second-year Hawks coach Skylar Hunter said . “I think the bottom line is that we competed very well and had great senior leadership. You don’t do what we did without guys like Riley, Joe and Garrett. You’ve got to give it to them.” Hunter’s team capped the year with a 21-11-2 record and finished second in the region. Hanahan won a postseason district title. As for the 2026 season, the Hawks can return a veteran group led by junior catcher Hudson Sprovero , junior second baseman Bo Brabham and eighth-grader pitcher/infielder Nolyn Nickels . All three earned all-region nods, with Sprovero also joining Furse on the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state squad. Sprovero was one of the Lowcountry’s top power hitters this season and finished in double digits home runs. “We’ve seen how these kids can compete with all the chips on the table,” Hunter said. “There are six or seven more months before we get back on the field, and you look forward to seeing what kind of development they’re going to make. We’ll get into the weight room and see what happens.”  More returning starters are sophomore pitcher/infielder Chris Polm , sophomore shortstop Wyatt Muirheid , junior outfielder/pitcher Gunnar Haulbrooks and freshman outfielder Tripp Gallus . Sophomore infielder Zac Jimenez , freshman infielder Richard Atencio and freshman outfielder Charlie Wood were regulars in the lineup, too.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Holly Hill – It was a sour taste that lingered for a year in the mouths of every player on the Holly Hill Academy softball team. Winning is better than mouthwash. The 2025 Raiders completed a 16-4 season by winning the SCISA Class A state championship, defeating W.W. King in two games (6-4, 15-4) in a best-of-three championship series. Holly Hill won their last seven games of the season. The victory makes Holly Hill state champion for the second time in three years but it was not winning the championship in 2024 that fueled the fire this spring. Though heavily favored last season, the Raiders were upset in the state tournament, eliminated by Jefferson Davis Academy. “We didn’t get it done last year but we still felt we were the best team in the state,” coach Kally Knight said. “Losing last year was all the motivation this team needed. They had a great focus all through the offseason and it carried over into the season. We weren’t perfect by any means but the four losses came to good teams and it helped us stay focused.” In the game one win, Holly Hill banged out nine hits. Kaylee Brabham collected three hits and Kloie Mizell had three runs batted in to lead the offense. Pitcher Taylor Wright had two hits and threw a complete game while allowing four runs. The bats stayed hot in game two as the Raiders totaled 12 hits and took advantage of six King errors. King took a 3-1 lead after the first inning but Holly Hill posted eight runs in the second inning and had a five-run fourth inning to close the deal in five innings. Wright had five RBI on three hits, including two doubles. She again tossed a complete game inside the circle. Kaley Bell had two hits and three RBI while Peyton Strickland and Chloe Wren each added a pair of hits and each had an RBI. “We were a good hitting team really all season and a lot of girls contributed from game to game,” Knight said. “We knew if we cut down walks and played good defense, we were going to be tough to beat. “This team deserves this. They worked hard and they built a strong chemistry. It’s great to see them celebrate being champions again.” Rounding out the roster were Milly Kate Prescott, Ariel Stanley, Abby Burleson, Shelby Hanson, Bethany Martin and Kaylee Cuttino. Brabham and Wren are the only seniors on this year’s team so expect the Raiders to be a contender once again.

Dillon rising senior receiver Zay Robertson who caught 63 passes for around 1,000 yards last season. Robertson ran a 4.4 forty at the South Carolina football camp on June, 7th.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Greenville – Some may have expected a drop off for the states premier boys tennis program in 2025 , but the Christ Church Boys and new coach Reverend Wallace Adams-Riley showed that the more things change the more they stay the same as they made it to the AAA upper state championship match in their first year in the new classification. When asked what challenges the first-year coach faced he told the HSSR, “the biggest challenge was the rain.” “I had such ready, steady support from our Athletic Director, Molly Miller, and her Athletic Department team; from Jimmy Burford , my predecessor as coach; from my assistant coach, Rae Sobocinski, who is an experienced tennis coach and player (and the coach of our girls’ varsity tennis); and from the parents of our players, that I’m happy to say things went quite smoothly,” said coach. Coach continued, “Our boys played hard all season, right on up through our match against Clinton in the Upper State Championship game. We had several additions to the varsity team giving us 17 players throughout the season. The teams three captains were seniors Tucker Hendrix, Carson Bowers, and Hutch Lyman. They brought leadership and commitment to the team and they helped show the younger players on the team, the culture of Christ Church boys tennis. Bowers and Lyman were returning top seven players from 2024. This season Bowers played at number two seed while Lyman was the most improved player this year, playing at various times the number five singles and the number two doubles with Bowers. Hendrix returned to the court after a years absence and played at the number three seed. He will head to Clemson next season to play football as a preferred walk on. Krish Patel was a returning seeded player from 2024 and was slotted at the number four seed for the Cav’s this season. Joining Hendrix as newcomers to this years team was the Cav’s top seeded player in Judd Windham. The sophomore also started at forward on the Cav’s boys soccer team that also made the upper state finals. Paul Fraunberger and Omar Rida moved up from the JV team. Fraunberger played at the number five singles while Rida played at number seven. Ellis Trail and Powers McKissick will be back next season. They provided depth this past but will be looking to nab one of the seeds on next year’s team. “The one thing I have loved is the team’s spirit. There’s an enthusiasm that is contagious and I have appreciated their commitment, all of which has continued to develop over the course of the season. One particularly encouraging aspect of the team’s culture is the way they have welcomed in and encouraged the younger players,” said coach. “We had 17 players with us through the season, with another couple of players coming up from our JV team to join us for practices, so I am excited about the future of our team. Next year we aim to make it to the State Championship.” .

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Wolverines sweep Saluda for state title

Bobcats claim program's first state championship since 2010