Wright happy with Jefferson Davis baseball team
Raiders being led by senior Colson Loadholt
Blackville – The Jefferson Davis Academy baseball team took a 9-7 record into the homestretch of its season. Second-year head coach Mannie Wright has no problem with his team’s performance.
“We’ve played above our expectations,” Wright said. “Nobody expected us to be where we are, nobody expected us to compete like we have with the teams we’ve been against. We were young and had a lack of experience in some places, but we’ve beaten some good teams and competed well against some good teams.”
Since no other schools in SCISA Region 1-Class A have baseball, the Raiders play what could be considered an independent schedule. They have taken on SCISA AAA schools Calhoun Academy and Colleton Prep Academy along with four South Carolina High School League high schools – AAA Orangeburg-Wilkinson, AA Whale Branch, Lake Marion and Edisto and Class A Williston-Elko.
Jefferson Davis has faced two fellow SCISA Class A schools, sweeping Wardlaw Academy and splitting with Holly Hill Academy. Wright believes his team is prepping itself quite well for the state playoffs.
“I think we’ve handled this perfectly,” Wright said. “We pitched our best guys against Holly Hill and Wardlaw. We’ve played a lot of public schools; we’ve had one of the toughest schedules to get us ready for the playoffs. I believe we’re battle-tested.”
Pitching has been the strength of the team. The Raiders owned a 1.97 team earned run average. They are led by senior standout Colson Loadholt. He had worked a team high 31 innings and had a 2-2 win-loss record with a 2.26 ERA. He had 44 strikeouts while walking just eight and allowing 26 hits.
Freshman Will Stillinger has had a tremendous season on the mound. He was 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. Senior Landon Williams – “Big Landon,” not to be confused with junior Landen Williams aka “Little Landen” – had worked 24 2/3 innings and had a 1.70 ERA and a 1-2 record.
Sophomore left-hander Reece Still was 1-1 with a 3.89 ERA in nine innings, while junior lefty Dalton Nix was 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 8 2/3 innings.
Wright admits he’s been surprised by the pitching staff’s success.
“Most definitely the pitching staff has been a great surprise,” Wright said. “We knew Colson was going to be Colson. He’s a dawg, a great human being and a great player. The other four pitchers have really turned it up a notch.”
When not on the mound, Still is typically at first base, Stillinger at second, Loadholt at shortstop, Big Landon at third and Nix in center. Sophomore Corbin Perry is the catcher, senior Payton Payne is in right field and senior Brian Montejano and junior Tanner Page share time in left.
Little Landen is a utility man extraordinaire, normally manning the spot of the player on the mound.
“He’ll play third, short center, left, and he’s producing at a high level,” Wright said.
Little Landen bats leadoff with Stillinger in the 2 slot and Loadholt batting third. Nix bats cleanup with Perry fifth, Payne sixth, Still seventh, either Page or Monejano in the 8 hole and Big Landon flipping the order.
Loadholt is far and away the offensive standout for the Raiders as well. He was leading the team in hitting with a .480 batting average, runs batted in with 15, runs scored with 19, doubles with five and stolen bases with 24.
Nix was batting .297 with 14 runs, 14 RBI and stolen bases, Stillinger was batting .289 with 11 runs and nine RBI, Perry had a .229 average with 18 runs and nine RBI, and Payne was hitting .211 with a .409 on-base percentage, three doubles, 11 RBI and 14 runs.
Little Landen was battig .212 but had a OBP of .378, Big Landon was batting .196 but with 14 runs and eight RBI, and Still was hitting .158 but with an OBP of .342.
Five other Raiders besides Loadholt were in double figures in steals. Payne had 19, Perry 16, Nix and Big Landon with 12 apiece and Still with 10.
Freshman Jake Herrington is the other member of the team.
JEFFERSON DAVIS SOFTBALL OFF TO 5-7 START
The Jefferson Davis softball team, the defending Class A state champion, is off to a 5-7 start. Since the Raiders don’t have a region schedule, they’ve only played two Class A teams to date. They beat Wardlaw 6-4 and lost to Holly Hill 16-4. The other losses have been Calhoun, Colleton Prep and Williston-Elko.
Jefferson Davis has had to adjust to not having graduated Regan Still as its pitcher. Senior Kaylee Jackson has seen most of the time in the circle, having worked 40 2/3 innings. She owned a 4-4 win-loss record with a 4.48 earned run average. Junior Rynn Fickling was 0-3 in 15 1/3 innings but had a respectable 4.57 ERA. Sophomore Abby Deering had the other win, posting a 6.00 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over three appearances.
Fickling, an infielder, is leading the Raiders offensively with a batting average of .400 and an on-base percentage of .615. She’s tied for the team lead in runs scored with 15 to go with five doubles and 11 stolen bases. Sophomore catcher Kinlee Ray was close behind Fickling with a .393 average and a .571 OBP. She had also scored 15 runs, led the team in doubles with six and was tied for the lead in steals with 13.
Sophomore outfielder
Esme Montejano is batting .357 with 13 stolen bases, 10 runs and eight RBI. Deering was batting .342 with 10 RBI and 13 runs, senior rightfielder
Madelyn Respass was batting .267 with a .389 OBP, an Jackson was batting .265 to go with four doubles, nine runs, nine RBI an a .342 OBP.
Senior centerfielder Carrie Lynn Loadholt and senior second baseman Sydney Owens, both All-Region selections last year, haven’t hit the ball as well as they would like. Loadholt had a .259 average while Owens was hitting .192. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting on base. Loadholt had a .421 OBP along with two doubles, a triple, 11 runs and five RBI. Owens had a .364 OBP and shared the team lead with Deering in RBI with 10.
Freshman infielder Rileigh York was batting .259 with a .444 OBP while scoring 12 runs and stealing 12 bases. Senior leftfielder Elie Fogle was batting .235.
The rest of the roster includes sophomore Jamylyn Mock and junior Ashley Lott.
