There are changes galore with Hilton Head Christian baseball program

Bluffton – The Hilton Head Christian Academy baseball team won the SCISA AAA state

championship last season, beating 2-time defending champion Pee Dee Academy in the process.

The Eagles will not have a chance to defend that title this season though. That’s because HHCA

moved up to the AAAA classification after realignment. And that is far from the only change for the

program.

Hilton Head Christian has a new head coach in Jay Scarbro and a different looking roster as

well. The Eagles graduated 10 seniors from the 24-6 squad.

Scarbro, an assistant who became head coach after JW Wilkerson stepped down to focus on his

athletic director duties, is looking forward to playing at the AAAA level.

“Moving up to AAAA will be an exciting challenge,” said Scarbro, whose team won four of its first

six games. “It is an honor to be in the highest classification because our school continues to grow.”

Scarbro isn’t inheriting a roster on which the cupboard is bare. Far from it. The Eagles return five starters

in Slaide Burd, Roman Colella, Hayden Brooks, Chip Hetzel and Jackson Richardson.

Burd will in center field after batting .338 last season with seven home runs, four doubles and a

triple among his 27 hits. He scored 36 runs and had 27 runs batted in. Colella, the catcher, batted .447

with 17 doubles, a triple, two homers, 36 RBI and 14 runs.

Hetzel, the shortstop, batted .329 with two doubles and a triple and 30 runs. Richardson, who will

play second base, batted .244 with 10 runs, while Brooks batted .333 in a limited number of at bats.

Brooks was not limited in what he did on the mound though. The right-hander had a 6-2 win-loss

record and a 2.40 earned run average in 46 2/3 innings to go with 44 strikeouts.

“Hayden Brooks was our top pitcher last year in terms of wins, starts, key wins and being All-

State,” Scarbro said.

HHCA also returns Will Mahl and Tucker Nelson to the pitching staff. Mahl had a 2.10 ERA in

6 2/3 innings, while Nelson had a 1.50 ERA in 9 1/3 innings.

Scarbro is looking forward to seeing how left-hander Colt Sargur develops. “He is an eighth-

grader who has given us some big innings already this season,” Scarbro said.

Anthony Seminara will be expected to provide some big innings as well.

Seminara will start at third base with Brooks at first, Mahl splitting time between the outfield and

designated hitter, Brody Mayles in right and Eli Morgan in left.

The batting order will have Burd leading off followed Richardson, Seminara in the 3 hole and

Colella in the cleanup spot. Hetzel will bat fifth followed by Brooks, Mahl, Mayles and Morgan.

Scarbro said he is looking forward to the challenge of trying to continue what Wilkerson started

with the baseball program.

“Coach Wilkerson did a great job building up this program and leading us to a state

championship last year,” Scarbro said. “ Fortunately I was able to be an assistant and gain some

understanding for what we have as a team.

“I do not feel that there is pressure on our team for this year. We return some very talented players

who I feel certain can compete in AAAA.”

FOSTER BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-REGION PICK

Ethan Foster was selected to the All-Region 3-AAAA team. He averaged a team high 14.0

points, 5.6 rebouns an 24 assists.

HHCA was 5-21 in its first season under head coach Bryan Brown.

“We had a good season of building an identity and gaining valuable expeience as a young team,”

Brown said. “These young men were willing to into every game and compete with anybody o the floor,

and that will serve them well in the future.”