Lake View falls in state finals; Herlong retires after 32 seasons

By David Shelton

Senior Writer

Lake View – It did not come as a big surprise when Lake View’s head baseball coach Kip Herlong retired after 32 seasons at the helm.

Herlong certainly still has the energy and passion for the game but there comes a perfect time to step away. Expressing a desire to follow his son Kason’s college career at North Greenville, Herlong is ready to hand over the reins of the program.

Kason Herlong capped a solid prep career by hitting .417 with 40 hits and 31 runs scored. He also was 7-1 with two saves and a 0.56 earned run average on the mound. He was selected as the Class A player of the year and played in the North-South all-star game where he was named the most valuable player for the 1A/2A/5A South all-stars.

Herlong also played football and was the starting quarterback for three seasons.

“It was a real blessing to coach my son for six seasons, and he worked hard and is all about this community and his teammates,” the coach said. “Because I was coaching I missed out on a lot of my daughter (Morgan) playing in college. My wife (Liz) and I are looking forward to following his college career.”

Herlong, already a member of the state’s baseball coaches hall of fame, leaves behind a legacy that will not likely ever be matched at Lake View. He won 633 games and eight state championships since taking over in 1993. His teams also were state runner-up five times, including this season when the Wild Gators lost to McBee in the Class A state championship series.

One of the traits that made Herlong such a success was his humility and even keel attitude. While sometimes feeling disappointment, the coach always used the game as a teaching tool to his players.

After the game three loss to McBee, Herlong took the time to thank those who helped the program be a success.

“It has been a great ride in such a great community,” he said. “We have met with failure and we have met with success, and we treat them the same and move forward. Our motto this season was ‘keep moving forward’ to keep one foot in front of the other and keep going.

“It would have been great for our players and for our fans had we won but things don’t always turn out like you would like.”

Lake View finished 2025 with a 23-7 record. Several other players had solid seasons for the Wild Gators. Chase Price contributed five wins on the mound with a 1.76 earned run average.

Senior Chris McGill batted .342 with two homeruns and 23 RBIs while senior Braden Borders batted .341 with 17 RBIs. Senior Bryce King hit .311 and senior Ian Capps hit .287 with 22 RBIs. McGill, Borders and Capps were three-year starters.

“We have great kids here at Lake View and they work really hard. We always have a chance with these kids. Baseball is really important to them,” Herlong said earlier this spring.

Lake View has moved quickly to replace Herlong, hiring former Lancaster coach Will Celmer to the position. Celmer is a 2008 graduate of Dillon High and was coach at Lancaster from 2019-2024.

Softball posts another successful season

The Lake View softball program continued its winning ways in 2025, posting 17 victories and making the district finals of the Class A Lower State playoffs.

Chloe Cox finished the season with a .423 batting average on 30 hits and 14 RBIs. Sarah Price hit ,435 with 12 RBIs and Hollie Scott hit .373 with 19 RBIs. Scott also handled pitching duties and had a 2.15 earned run average with 187 strikeouts.

Hanna Coburn finished with a .356 batting average, adding 16 RBIs, while Kaylynn Turner hit .356.