Emerald Baseball Focused On Strong Finish In Pursuit Of play-off Berth

Billy Baker • April 18, 2025

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By Billy G. Baker

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Greenwood—Emerald head baseball coach Mack Hite knew if he could ever get talented freshman Beau Hite back on the mound that his confidence would be restored and positive things would emerge.

Hite has been able to bat all season, but an injury prevented him from pitching until recently. “Beau has been able to throw an inning here and there recently, and he had a big strike out against a highly regarded prospect at Laurens who is going to Georgia. Big moments like that have helped him get his confidence back,” said Coach Hite. “It has also helped him increase his hitting average at the plate also.”

Hite is now batting .438 with 9 RBI’s, including five doubles and a triple. Hite also has 8 stolen bases. He is a three-sport athlete at Emerald where excels in football and basketball also.

One bit of recent bad news for the team was losing the pitching services of LHP and PC commitment Tucker Meredith. “He is still able to play a position and bat, so not all is loss,” said Coach Hite.

Other top hitters to date for the Vikings include freshman Ethan Metts at .375 along with sophomore Eli Swancey who is at .400 with five TBI’s including an excellent .978 fielding percentage. Finn Howard is at ,367 with four RBI’s while junior Aaron Polly is hitting .351 with 9 RBI’s. Freshman Coleman Marino is at .360 with six RBI’s.

With Meredith off the rubber, Hite, Howard, Marino, and Swancey have all stepped up to share pitching duties. Howard has become the work horse and he is 2-1 with 32 K’s in 28.2 innings of work.

As of April, 11 the Vikings were in 5^th place in the region. “I think as competitive as our region has been this season, with so many good teams, that we should have a good case to possibly qualify for an at-large play-off berth,” said Coach Hite. “In the mean time we just need to keep playing with grit and toughness and win as many games as we can.

“We have been hitting well is spurts, but we can’t seem to get a timely hit with runners in scoring position,” said Coach Hite. “Hopefully our luck will change as we enter a crucial part of our schedule.”

The team had seven games left as of April, 14 when they played at Ware Shoals. Hey have region games against Westside on April 15 and 17. They next play region games against Laurens on April 22 and 24 before hosting Abbeville on the 30^th. They close out the season at home against Ware Shoals on May, 1.

Emerald Softball Very Young This Season

Tiaria Agnew is in her fourth season as the Emerald High girls’ softball coach and her team is very young and rebuilding this season.

The Lady Vikings are made up of one 7^th grader, three 8^th graders, two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and just two seniors so a youth movement has certainly hit the program.

The team was 5-3, 2-6 entering the final two weeks of the season. They recently had two confidence wins over Southside (16-1, 20-0).

The young team is being led by senior LHP Bria Jones, sophomore Paydyn Stafford and freshman utility athlete Caitlyn Hackett.

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By David Shelton • July 30, 2025

By David Shelton Senior Writer Charleston – First Baptist School has new leadership within its football program and athletic department for the coming 2025-26 school year. Kevin Mapp was hired as the new head football coach in the early spring and Jay Godbolt was hired as the new athletic director at the start of the summer. Mapp has extensive coaching experience on both the college and high school levels while also working in law enforcement. First Baptist is his first head coaching position. Mapp last coached defensive linemen at James Island Charter High and has had coaching stints at James Madison, Hampden-Sydney, Georgetown, Marshall, Missouri State and Coastal Carolina. Mapp graduated from James Madison and was a defensive lineman on the 2004 Division I-AAA (now FCS) national championship team. “Coaching has always been my passion,” Mapp said. “Ever since I was playing, I wanted to be a coach. I have always found a way to coach while working in law enforcement. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunities to do both.” Mapp has been with the Charleston County police department for the last 10 years. He took some time away from coaching to start a family. “I felt like First Baptist was the perfect fit for me and my family,” Mapp says. “It’s a great opportunity at a great place. The kids here work hard and there is a lot of support from the administration. I’m excited to be the head football coach at First Baptist.” Mapp has hired coordinators on both sides of the ball. Will McCombs , once the head coach of the program, will call the offensive plays. Chris Hart comes over from James Island as the defensive coordinator. “Our numbers are improving and the kids are working hard,” Mapp said. “I feel like we can be a competitive team. It’s year one of the building process.” Godbolt has been a coach and athletic director in the Charleston area for nearly two decades. As the boys basketball coach at Charleston Collegiate, Godbolt coached three state championship teams. He also has been a coach and athletic director at Lowcountry Leadership Academy. Godbolt has more than 450 career victories as a head basketball coach. Current First Baptist basketball coach Antoine Saunders was Godbolt’s assistant at Charleston Collegiate.