Head coach Mills thinks good things await Saluda baseball team
Tigers return 4 All-Region players in Williams, Arant, Shaw, Uhlar
Saluda – Saluda High School baseball head coach Travis Mills thinks good things await the Tigers for the upcoming season
““I feel good about our team and where we're at,” said Mills, who led SHS to a 16-10 record and its fourth straight trip to the AA state playoffs. “We’ve got a good mix of veterans and some young guys who can add a lot of value to this team, particularly on the mound. We’ve also played a challenging preseason schedule to help prepare for what I believe is the toughest region in AA (Region 2).”
Saluda returns four All-Region performers in junior Brayden Williams, senior Drew Arant, junior Sid Shaw and senior Josh Uhlar.
Williams, who will start in centerfield, had a .362 batting average last season with 24 runs batted in, two home runs and 11 stolen bases. Arant will be the shortstop after batting .337 with 12 RBI, a homer and 12 SBs. Shaw, the catcher, batted 338 with a HR and 21 RBI.
Uhlar returns after having a great season on the mound. The right-hander had a 6-1 win-loss record with a 3.30 earned run average with 37 strikeouts.
Mills’ projected batting order has junior rightfielder Jeremy Matthews leading off and followed by Arant, Shaw and Williams. Sophomore Grant Gentry will bat fifth with Uhlar, who will play second when not pitching, in the 6 hole.
Sophomore Tristan Daniels and junior Cooper Gantt are battling for playing time in left. Freshman Cash Martin will bat eighth and play second, while freshman Eduardo Dominguez will play third and round at the lineup.
Eighth-grade righty Cayden Rogers is slated as the No. 2 starter on the mound. Junior Zac Costain will generally be the first out of the bullpen. Eighth-grader Westan Rowe is the only left-hander, and junior Lane Ashley is a submariner
Dominguez, Williams, Gantt, Martin, Gentry and Arant will also be available for innings.
“I think the maturity of this team is different,” Mills said. “Although we're relatively young, we've got a bunch of guys who have been in our program for a few years who have really brought in to our team philosophies and goals. We also were able to field a Junior American Legion team this past summer which has only helped with the growth of our young guys.”
CJ SPRINGS NAMED TO AA ALL-STATE TEAM
Junior boys basketball player CJ Springs was named to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association AA All-State team. He was also selected to the All-Region 2-AA team along with Jahmeer Myers and Devon Wallace.
The Tigers finished the season with a 15-9 record and was third in the region with a 7-4 record. They lost to Clinton 54-49 in the first round of the state playoffs.
“All things said, this was a successful season in that we defeated everyone in our region at least once,” said SHS head coach Jimmy Kinard. “We only graduate two seniors so I’m already excited about next season.”
GREG WOERNER NEW FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
Greg Woerner, who served as the offensive coordinator under former football head coach Stewart Young last season, was named as Young’s replacement on February 27.
Young stepped down after 11 seasons as Tigers head coach in January to take over at Lexington.
The 38-year-old Woerner came back to Saluda for his second stint after serving eight seasons as assistant offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Gilbert under head coach Chad Leaphart. When Leaphart left Gilbert for the Lexington 1 athletic director job, Woerner applied for the position. When he didn’t get it, he returned to Saluda.
