Top Ranked Gray Collegiate Softball Begins AAAA Play-offs With Big Win Over Bluffton

Billy Baker • May 7, 2025

Gray Collegiate head coach Doug Frye With Co-captains Aspen Boulware an Naveah Matthews. 


 By Billy G. Baker

 Publisher


 Lexington—Gray Collegiate (25-2), the number one HSSR ranked AAAA softball team in the state, had little trouble defeating first round opponent Bluffton, 16-0, at home on May 6, and the big question now is what team might get in the way of the War Eagles strong goal of winning a state title in a few weeks?


 Veteran head coach Doug Fyre, who has been the head softball coach from day one of Gray Collegiate opening 11 years ago did have one lower state team on his radar. “There are a lot of good teams all across the state but in the lower state Hartsville is going to be a tough opponent for anyone,” said Coach Frye who has four state titles on his impressive resume. “If we are fortunate enough to win the Lower State title a team like AC Flora could be our eventual opponent in the state finals.”


 (By the way Hartsville (20-3) defeated Lakewood 17-2 in first round action while AC Flora (19-4) defeated Greer 7-0.) Gray has played and defeated AC Flora already this season.


“No doubt, in my nearly 25 years of being a head softball coach this is the best over-all team I have coached,” said Coach Frye. ”We have four pitchers we can put in the circle and we have total confidence in all of them.


“If we keep hitting the ball, and playing solid defense like we have this season, I feel we should be able to compete for a state title,” said Coach Frye. “We are not going to get ahead of ourselves, and hopefully we can focus on playing one game at a time with solid consistent play in all aspects of the game.”


 Makenzie Sease came into the play-offs with 44.2 innings pitched with 88 K’s and a .627 ERA to date. Sease is 5-1 on the season. Peyton Hendrix is next with 41.1 innings worked with 61 K’s and a 1.42 ERA. Hendrix is 8-0 in the circle. Senior Maddox Long currently has 30.2 innings of work with 45 K’s and a 2.51 ERA. Long is 7-0 on the season and her fastball is in the 64-65 mph range. Senior Claire McCormack is 4-1 coming into the play-offs with 30.1 innings in the circle and she has 19 K’s with a 1.38 ERA. McCormack  is headed to Columbia International also.  


  Gray is once again being led by sophomore shortstop co-captain Aspen Boulware, the number one ranked sophomore in the state, and one of the more highly recruited sophomores in the region. Already, SEC schools South Carolina and Florida have attended her games this Spring to check out her talents first-hand.


Boulware is batting .536 with 8 doubles, 8 triples and she leads the state with 15 homes runs and 36 RBI’s. “Aspen makes plays and she throws most runners out from deep short by four and five steps,” said Coach Frye. “She has a cannon for arm. I have been doing this for a long time and I have never seen a player like her.


“The things she does at the plate and in the field is quite amazing,” said Coach Frye. “She works in practice as hard as does in a game. She elevates the players around her wither hard work and leadership on the field.”


Boulware told the HSSR, after the Bluffton win, “Absolutely, my number one goal right now is to help my team win a state title,” said Boulware after the Bluffton win.  “My role is to help carry the team offensively and defensively. We are not a one- person team. It takes all of us playing together to have success.


“I love being a part of this team and we are all focused on competing hard and hopefully winning a state title,” she said. “I have been playing softball since I was 8 years old, and softball  is the only varsity sport I play. I take a lot of pride in trying to lift up and support teammates.


“One of my strong goals is to be on the USA softball team in the 2028 Olympics,” said Boulware.  That would be a dream come true if I could accomplish that goal.”


  The team’s other captain is senior center fielder Naveah Matthews. She came into the play-offs hitting .439 with 15 RBI’s and two home runs.


 “What I love about this team is that if I am ever having a bad day my teammates always lift me back up, and I feel like they always have my back,” said Matthews who will be playing at near-by Columbia International next season. “My role as a captain is to keep everyone focused on being the best they can be, on and off the field. Everybody helps out and everybody knows their role in helping the team win games.


“I love running down a ball hit in the gap and making a catch for an out,” said Matthews. “I absolutely love making difficult defensive plays out in center field.”


Matthews has been a member of the team for five seasons, and every remaining game this season, is one more opportunity for her to add to a long list of fond memories she has already experienced. “My goal has always been to play college ball and I want to become a nurse by the time I graduate from Columbia International,” said Matthews.


Coach Frye said this about Matthews, “She can go get it in all fields from line-to-line,” said Coach Frye. “Her speed in the outfield is amazing.”


 Senior Kaylan Boudreau is the starting catcher hitting .513 with 27 RBI’s and she is headed to Tallahassee State. Freshman Makenzie Sease plays first when not pitching and she is hitting .386 with 17 RBI’s. Madison Bumgardner starts at second base and she is batting .348 with four RBI’s. Sophomore Braelyn Triplett starts at third base (her father played baseball at SC)  and she is batting .288 with 11 RBI’s.


 The right fielder is freshman Elizaebeth Roberson who is batting .356 and junior Maliah Wright is in left field with a .386 average including 20 RBI’s. Junior Gracie Porter often plays in the outfield or Flex and she is batting .308. Kaley Anderson is a DP who is currently hitting .583 with 33 RBI’s. Anderson is headed to Converse College to play softball.


 Kaitlyn Miller is a utility player currently batting .360. Other hard-working members of the team   


 Include: Aleigh Capilos, Chelsea Peterson, Jennifer Jager, Anna Mack, along with Anna Boyd.


 With a team batting average of .420, along with a solid pitching staff, an AAAA foe is going to have to play their best game of the season to beat a well-coached team like Gray Collegiate that is dominated by a roster of year-round dedicated players.     

 

   

 

Andrews beats East Clarendon to reach Lower State finals

By Billy Baker • May 21, 2026
Andrews—East Clarendon out-hit Andrews 6-5 on May, 20, on the road in the AA Lower State softball semi-finals, but the Yellow Jackets took advantage of two errors and six walks to come out on top 5-1, as they advance to play Chesterfield on Friday in the Lower state finals. Joy Weisner is the Andrews head coach, and she told the HSSR after the game: “What we have tried to do all season is take advantage of any opportunities a team gives us,” said Coach Weisner. “We hit the ball better today and that is very important.” Andrews last won a state title in 20218. Andrew had five players earning all-region honors. They were center fielder Sarah Jennings, pitcher Addyson Davis, who will also play in the North-South game. Other all-region selections were junior catcher Chloe Skipper who was the Region MVP, senior Addison McCants, Region MVP outfielder Skipper, and talented sophomore shortstop Tori Smith. Andrews lost to Chesterfield 7-3 this past Monday (May 18). “We have to hit the ball better when we go to them this Friday,” said Coach Weisner. “We didn’t hit the ball well at all this past Monday when we played Chesterfield. We hit the ball well today, so we just have to keep that momentum going into Friday. “We have to go to Chesterfield and beat them twice,” said Coach Wesiner. “We have to play some of our best softball this season in order to that, so I hope we are focused. We need to start the game with momentum and end the game with momentum when we play at Chesterfield. East Clarendon (25-8) head coach Jason Newsome closed out his third season in the loss. “I thought our pitcher hung tough (Addyson Davis) today and she is just a freshman and she has been learning by fire all year long,” said Coach Newsome. “She is extremely talented and she is a good pitcher now, but she is going to an even better pitcher in the future.” Coach Newsome. “In the playoffs the margin of error is very thin and the mistakes we made, they took advantage of,” said Coach Newsome. “On the other hand, the mistakes they made, and the opportunities they gave us we didn’t take advantage of them and that was a key in the game. They did a good job of keeping us off-balance.” All region players from EC included: Region POY Peyton Hanniford, Bailey Hicks, Riley Atkinson, Layke Jeffords, and Zoey Culick. The score was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the third when Andrews scored four runs. Karaline Gainey singled to start the inning and was advanced on a sac bunt by Lauren Stump to second. Sarah Jennings next singled to left field advancing Gainey to third. Torian Smith drew a walk. Then Jenna Cook hit a ball deep into the corner down the first base line that resulted in an inside the park grand slam. Andrew added an insurance run in the bottom of the 4thwhen B. Walker singled and advanced on a single by Gainey. Stump was then Hit by pitcher to load the bases. Sarah Jennings then hit an RBI ground out that brought in Walker to account for the Yellow Jackets’ five runs.

Hanahan wins lower state in softball

By David Shelton • May 21, 2026
This is a subtitle for your new post

Wilson Hall Softball Finishes With 21-7 Record

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The Wilson Hall softball team came up short of reaching the SCISA AAAA state championship series, which is a goal for everyone at the start of the season. Only two can get there though, so while not fun to come up short, it is bearable. However, the way things went down for the Barons this season didn’t help at all. Wilson Hall just needed one victory on Day 2 of the state tournament at Patriot Park SportPlex in Sumter to punch its ticket to the title series. Instead, the Barons lost to archrival Laurence Manning Academy twice by the scores of 12-0 and 6-4. LMA advanced to the best-of-3 series instead and swept Pinewood Prep to win a third straight championship. In retrospect though, Barons head coach Teresa Alexander finds it hard not to be proud of the season her team had. “The season’s ending didn’t turn out how we had hped, but I’m really proud of the tough schedule we played and the success we had all year.,” said Alexander, who guided Wilson Hall to a 21-7 record. “I’m excited to see this young bunch return with the experience they now have under their belts. But we will truly miss our seniors, Addie Griffin and Marymae Lampron .” The Barons had four players selected to the All-Region 3-AAAA team in Griffin, freshman pitcher Marsha Kate Skey , sophomore shortstop Mary Paisley Geddings and junior catcher Caroline Moorman . Griffin, who played left field, had a .279 batting average to go with an on-base percentage of .423. She had one double, one triple, one home run, 13 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. Skey was a standout in the circle as Wilson Hall’s primary pitcher. Shd had a `1.69 earned run average to go with 115 strikeouts. At the plate, Skey batted .400 with an OBP of .489. She had three doubles, two triples, 17 RBI and 33 runs. Geddings batted .317 with a .406 OBP to go with seven doubles, one triple, four homers, 26 RBI and 28 runs. Moorman had 14 RBI, 17 runs and four doubles to go with a .354 batting average and an OBP of .429. Other returning starters are freshman second baseman Tatiana Erichsen , freshman outfielder Anna Meldrim , sophomore third baseman Lilly Grace Przybyla , freshman outfielder Emmie Williamson and eighth-grade centerfielder Caroline Andrews . Meldrim hit .412 with three homers, 31 RBI and 24 runs, Przybyla hit .373 with 21 runs and 15 RBI, Williamson batted .263 with an OBP of .500, and Erichsen batted .324 with 19 RBI and 23 runs.

Stallions Reach SCISA Class AAA Baseball Title Series In Morris’ First Year

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
Williamsburg runners makes diving slide for the plate in the playoffs. (Photo by Mara Feagin)

Warlaw’s Lady Patriots Fall 5 Runs Short Of Winning State Title

By Gerald Doolittle • May 20, 2026
Lady Patriots Katherine Trotter, Bailey Sturkie, Ellie Yonce, Taylor Hilll and Brianna McNeill (not pictured) were selected to the North-South All-Star Team!

Wolves Boys’ Track Team Finishes Fourth At AA State Meet

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR ST. STEPHEN - Timberland High School’s boys track and field team finished fourth in the state Saturday, May 15, at Richland Northeast High School. The Wolves, who finished with 45 points, produced state champions in multiple events. They placed three points out of a tie for second place. Hurdler Malyk Goodman won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.63 seconds and jumper Carter Hawkins soared to victory in the triple jump with a mark of 14.24 meters. Goodman also placed third in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.82 and Hawkins finished second in the long jump with an effort of 6.65 meters.  Timberland’s boys sent three more to the awards podium. Hurdler Day’vian Bennett placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.89 seconds. Jumper Antaun Faison finished sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.51 meters. The boys’ 4x100-meter relay team posted a time of 43.17 seconds to place seventh. For Timberland’s boys, jumper Robert Roberts finished 11th in the triple jump with an effort of 12.11 meters, while the 4x800-meter relay placed 11th and 4x400-meter relay team 13th. The Timberland girls finished 10th in the state and sent quite a few to the awards podium (top 8). Kennahdi Murrell placed third in the 400-meter hurdles, sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the high jump. Kemani Lampkin finished fifth in the 800-meter run and Jermanee Washington placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles. China Greene recorded a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles and teammate Kiana Glenn was two spots back in eighth. Tiana Jefferson finished 12th in the long jump and 13th in the 400-meter dash. Zoe Cooper was 13th in the discus. Timberland’s girls placed eighth in the 4x400-meter relay and 10th in the 4x100 relay.

Thomas Heyward Has Good Season In Golf

By David Shelton • May 20, 2026
The THA golf program is relatively new but interest seems to be gaining each year.

Summerville Softball Wins District 3 Title

By Roger Lee • May 20, 2026
Senior Jayden Bennett has had some key turns at bat for Summerville during the playoffs.

Stratford’s Kowlok Repeats As State Champion In Pole Vault

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
Lukas Kowlok headlined by repeating as the state champion in the pole vault soaring over the bar at 4.85 meters.

Tough Loss to Stags in Playoffs Doesn’t Dilute an Otherwise Great White Knoll Softball Season

By Worthy Evans • May 19, 2026
By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - The pain of falling out of the 5A Division 2 District 4 tournament May 11 was still fresh when longtime White Knoll softball head coach talked about the season the next day.  The Timberwolves (14-13, 7-3) faced Berkeley for the second time in the tournament. The Stags held a 6-3 lead but White Knoll rallied for two runs in the seventh. After Melinda Veler drew a walk, Reginae Porterfield swatted a 1-out double to put runners at second and third. Lillian Priest lined out on the next at-bat, but Berkeley first baseman Emma Drawdy misplayed Adelynn Lewis’ ground ball, enabling Veler and Porterfield to score and cut the Stags’ lead to 6-5. With Lewis on base representing the tying run, Jaida Gray struck out swinging to end the hopes of an upset, and close out an otherwise great Timberwolves season. “It’s hard to shake it off. In the season you go to the next game but at the end of the season you can’t,” said Farr, who watched her team take a 3-0 lead only to be hit with Berkeley’s run in the third and a five-run fourth. “I could see my kids kind of feeling it, you could see it in my kids eyes,” she added. “We’ve got to fight to survive and they rallied around those seniors. They knew their time was coming and for two outs we were down 6-5. And that last pitch, it’s a hard way to go out. We’ve got to regroup and build off of what we did this year.” White Knoll beat Socastee 8-7 May 4 to get into the bracket, then upset Berkeley 3-2 May 6. West Florence , led by phenomenal pitcher Annie Eliason (19-0, 0.00 ERA, 309 strikeouts; who gave up two hits and struck out 20) beat White Knoll 7-0 May 8 to set up the rematch with the Stags. While the season ended on a sour note, there was much to praise about a team that Farr said few people would look to as contenders. After a young Timberwolves team battled through trials and tribulations, injuries and other issues, Farr said she watched her team come together in the second half of region play. “On senior night we really started playing for each other and giving it everything we had,” Farr said. “They worked their tails off to get better every single day and it showed. We have 12 players who fought their hearts out. We got to that fourth game, and our losses were close. We were right there, and it really was just one lucky pitch and that’s how the runs ended up.” White Knoll loses just two seniors in Priest and Gracie Fisher , but those seniors made a huge impact on the team. Priest had three home runs, 11 RBI, 34 hits and a .405 batting average. Fisher batted .311 with a double and 14 RBI. “Those two seniors have left their legacy, and we’ll continue with what they started on this swing upward,” Farr said. “We’re really excited that everyone else is returning.” Among the returners are freshmen Veler and Porterfield, and sophomores Charity West and E.G. Birchmore . Porterfield finished with a .393 batting average and a team-leading four home runs and six triples, six doubles and 20 RBI. Veler had 31 hits and 17 RBI to go with a .360 batting average an a .415 on-base percentage. West hit .323 with 11 hits and 10 runs batted in. “Mindy Veler started out in left field since seventh grade and she’s fantastic,” Farr said. “She’s got speed and runs down everything in the outfield but she’s really a good infielder, can play shortstop without missing a beat. An unbelievably great kid who won’t talk very loud but she’s a leader. “Reginae, that kid is small but she’s strong and compact. She can fly and you can’t get anything past her in centerfield,” Farr said. “Charity has been our DP and catcher. She puts the ball in play and has quality at-bats.” Birchmore caught fire in the circle late in the game and finished the season with a 2.23 earned-run average. She was 3-1 in five appearances. “E.G. is a pitcher and utility player, one of those kids in the past couple of years who was always there,” Farr said. “We didn’t expect her to be our starting pitcher but in the back half of the season she started to pour it on and keep us in games. She’s a battler along with our other pitchers.” The White Knoll baseball team finished 10-14 and 5-5 in Region 4-5A, but had a bounce-back season after going 7-22 and 0-10 the year before. The Timberwolves reached the play-in series of the 5A Division 2 District 3 tournament, but fell two games to zero in the best-of-three series with Lugoff - Elgin . White Knoll fell 4-1 in game one, but rallied for six runs in game two after falling behind 7-0. The Timberwolves had a 4-run rally going on in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and two men on, but a strikeout closed out the game and the season. Senior Dillon Woods led the team with a .465 batting average, five home runs and a .573 on-base percentage. Senior Jean Maldonado batted .364, and junior Tra Johnson batted .329. The team loses six seniors but has plenty of younger hitters, fielders, and pitchers to put together another successful season next year.
More Posts