Dillon Softball Focused On Strong Finish To The Regular Season
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Dillon—The Dillon Lady Wildcats softball team (9-11,4-4) has seven middle schoolers on their varsity roster this season, and it easily the youngest team head coach Stevie Grice has worked with nearing the end of his 5th season as the head coach at the school.

“We played Aynor the other night, with all of their six seniors going on to college softball, and our young team is 0-0 with them after four innings,” said Coach Grice. “We did eventually get beat 13-1 but I was proud of how we hung tough with them, only trailing 3-0 after five innings.”
Dillon is 4-4 in the region, with two region games left against Marlboro County (April, 29) and at Loris (May, 2). “If are fortunate enough to win those two games there would be a three-way tie for second place in the region behind Aynor,” said Coach Grice. “This would be a great achievement for such a young team. In AAA, we only have 32 teams so every team makes the play-offs.”
Dillon’s biggest win of the season was a 6-2 win over Loris on April, 1. “Our sophomore pitcher Zoee Chavis had 10 strike-outs in that game and we only gave up one walk, made just one error in the field with one hit batter,” said Coach Grice. “When we have played games with few walks and errors we have won the majority of those games.
“Against Loris, freshman Wanaysia Hughes went two-for-two with three RBI’s to lead us at the plate,” Coach Grice. “MaKayla Huggins and Makenna Meekins each had two hits in that game and Cierra Grice had a hit, one RBI and a walk. The Loris game was the best we have played all season.”
Grice, a PC signee in her sixth season on the Dillon varsity, leads the team with a .561 average including 10 doubles, three triples, and five home runs with 26 RBI’s. Grice recently collected her 100th career RBI at Dillon in a game against Hartsville.
“Cierra has carried us on offense all season and we have played her between shortstop and third base this season,” said Coach Grice. “She is five hits away from having 200 hits in her career at Dillon and she already holds the school record for hits in a career.”
Senior catcher McKayla Huggins is committed to Florence-Darlington Tech and she is currently batting .424 with 9 doubles and 22 RBI’s. Junior Makeena Meekins, who bats second in the line-up, starts in center field and she is hitting .382 with six games left in the regular season.
After getting past these three veteran players for Dillon, the Wildcats are very young. Chavis bats cleans-up at .259. As the team’s ace pitcher, she is 6-6 with 70 K’s in 63.2 innings of work in the circle. “Zoee Chavis is getting better and better every time she gets in the circle,” said Coach Grice. “She has a nice change-up and curve ball and she is throwing 57-to 59 as a young pitcher. She has a solid future.”
Jayla Wright is a 7th grader starting at first base and she is the team’s back-up pitcher. She has seven RBI’s batting out of the five- hole. Madelyn Willis is an 8th grader starting at second base while 8th grader Marsiah Bethea plays in the outfield and she is the team’s designated base runner.
Kanyla Tanksley is an 8th grade shortstop who has started at short, and the outfield, and she is a solid utility performer batting in the sixth spot. Hughes is a freshman starting in right field and she is batting .261 with seven RBI’s. Sophomore Ansley Villagomez starts in left field and she has seven RBI’s. Madelyn Willis is an 8th grader starting at second base.
Other key reserves on the team include sophomore catcher/outfielder Addison Villagomez, Seventh grader Ashlyn Wallace who sometimes starts at second or third base. Seventh grade reserve pitcher Emorie Williamson is 1-0 in the circle and she was the winning pitcher against Knox, Ky earlier in the season with 5 K’s.
Sophomore Haiden Eller has started some at first while sophomore Tristen Dove has provided depth at third and first during the season.
“I feel like we will have a strong finish to the season and these younger players all have bright futures in the program,” said Coach Grice. “Next season is going to be really interesting for sure.”
In Coach Grice’s first season as head coach in 2021, Dillon went 25-10 and played for the state title against Seneca, losing out in the third game of that series. In 2022, the Wildcats were 21-8 and advanced to the Lower State championship game before losing to Aynor.
In 2023, Dillon was 21-10 and lost out to Aynor once again in the AAA Lower State finals. Last year the Wildcats went 18-7 and advanced to the Lower State finals, once again, before losing out to Aynor.
To date, Coach Grice is 94-46 at Dillon and the future is very bright for the program.
