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Barnwell Softball Focused On Deep Play-off Run As The 2023 Season Begins

Gerald Doolittle • Mar 09, 2024

By Billy G. Baker

HSSR Publisher

Barnwell — The Barnwell Warhorse (14-4) softball team will be ranked near the top of the HSSR SCHSL AA softball rankings, when they are released on March, 15, supported by the fact the team returns six starters, led by highly valued junior pitcher Jaidyn Devore (R-R) who had 135 strike-outs in 65 innings of work a year ago when she earned all-state honors with the HSSR.


Head coach Mike Beasley (220-120 career) is starting his second year as the head softball coach at Barnwell High, after spending 21 seasons in a similar role at Blackville-Hilda. Coach Beasley was not happy at all about what happened to his team a year ago when they bowed out of the AA playoffs (as a number one seed) in back-to-back home losses against Cheraw and Andrews.


“Last year we had real bad luck with bad weather cancelling some games late in the regular season, coupled with an early Spring break,” said Coach Beasley. “This unfortunate situation hurt our rhythm entering the playoffs, in all aspects of our game. We have a later Spring break this year, and we have scheduled  more games at the end of the season, with teams like Branchville, Silver Bluff, Swansea and Wagener-Salley.


“The real challenge for us, is that we will have a key region game with Woodland, after our Spring break this season,” said Coach Beasley. “We have had a lot of rain so far this season in our scrimmage games, so we are going to have to do a say-ounce against having so much rain. Our dug-out at home games does not hold water well when it rains”


In an early season scrimmage, Devore whiffed 11 of the 12 batters she faced. “Coming into her junior season she has five firm college offers,” said Coach Beasley. “She can throw all the pitches for strikes, but the screw ball is probably her best pitch. She has improved her velocity a lot over last season and she had got a lot stronger also.” At the plate Devore batted .429 last season.


Barnwell will be strong up the middle with the return of Bre’anna Buckmon, a four- year varsity catcher back behind the plate.  Buckmon batted .435 last year with 11 RBI’s.  “Very few teams even tried to steal against her last season,” said Coach Beasley. “She has a strong arm and is a very good defensive catcher.”


Junior third year team member Brooklyn Gardner has been moved from third base to short-stop this season after batting .429 with 11 RBI’s a year ago with an OBP of 512. “Brooklyn is very athletic who hits for power and she has a strong arm from short to first,” said Coach Beasley.   


Versatile freshman Laney Grubbs will use her speed to start in center field and she is the team’s number two pitcher behind Devore.  Grubbs batted .583 with seven RBI’s including an impressive .722 on-base-percentage.  “Laney has pitched very well also in the pre-season,” said Coach Beasley. “She also has a solid bat at the plate.”


Freshman Kendall O-Berry has moved from short to right field this season. “We expect Kendall to be among our most improved hitters this season,” said Coach Beasley. “She is very patient at the plate and she had a .500 OBP last year.”


Sophomore third baseman Abigail Corley is one of three left-handed hitters on the team. “We have moved her from the outfield to third base and she can both slap and hit away,” said Coach Beasley. “She is a solid all-around player.”


Returning player, junior Tiera Arnold can play either first or third base, and she will serve as the Warhorses third pitcher also.  “Arnold is a power hitter with a strong arm,” said Coach Beasley.


Three players will be starting on the varsity for the first time. Sophomore Kaylen Mayes can start in the out-field or at third base and she is very athletic with a strong bat. Senior Kah’Miyah Williams will start in left- field and she is a switch hitter who can slap or hit away from the right side. Freshman Molly Wilson up from the junior varsity and she begins the season starting at second base and she can also catch, if needed. 


“As far as I am concerned, all 14 of our players can start at various positions from game-to-game but the difference will be who is hitting well at the plate,” said Coach Beasley.


Four players who will contribute during the season include sophomore outfielder Bri’Anna Croft (L-L) who started a lot as a freshman and she is also a good slapper at the plate. Freshman Layla Bishop will see action in the outfield and she has a lot of speed  to contribute. Senior Jamicka Jenkins will see time in the out-field and she is described as a strong hitter. Freshman Jessica Williams returns to the varsity and brings good hitting and defense to the team.”


“We are trying to create a championship atmosphere at all of our home games this season,” said Coach  Beasley. “We will have “Special Recognition Nights” at most home games honoring former players, local rec teams, and even current players, for a job well done. We have walk-up music for all our varsity players when they come to bat also.


“Our goal is to playing our best softball at the end of the season, compete and win a region title, compete and win our District in the play-offs, and then compete for a state championship,” said Coach Beasley. “Pitching will be our strong suit coming into the season but I also expect us to be a solid hitting team.


“If we have a challenge, it is to make sure we have the right personnel in the right positions on the field,” said Coach Beasley. “Playing solid defense is very important also.”


Barnwell played in two scrimmage games at the “Grand Slam” event hosted at Colleton County in the pre-season. The regular season will start on March, 4th at Williston-Elko before playing at Colleton County on March, 6. The first home game of the season will be against Colleton County on March, 8.


Coach Beasley is assisted by Rick and Rose Arnold, who are also the head coaches for the junior varsity team.   


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By Billy G. Baker Moncks Corner - All signs point to number one HSSR rated Hannah-Pamplico , the defending Class A softball champions in South Carolina, eventually engaging with a rematch in the state finals against Lewisville when the gold medal round starts later in May. Last year it took a third game neutral site tie-breaker at McBee High for the winner to be crowned. Hannah-Pamplico earned the school’s first ever state softball championship with an 8-4 win over Lewisville. The Lady Raiders hit four home runs in the third game with three of them being two-run homers and the victory celebration on the field registered like low level seismic activity. Anything can happen in this competitive world of high school sports but H-P and Lewisville have dominant pitching, consistent hitting throughout their line-ups and good coaching staffs. H-P has steam-rolled over their first two playoff opponents Whale Branch (17-0) and Carvers Bay (10-0) and they should little problems winning their district on May, 8. H-P is head coached by alumni Amber Knight . “Our focus right now is being all-business and staying focused on our goals,” said Coach Knight. “I will put up op our top four to six batters against anyone’s in the state. We have never worked harder and everything is all about taking care of business. “I hope we have good weather throughout the playoffs,” said Coach Knight. “Having a bunch of rain slows down your momentum. We know what is in front of us. No softball team in Class A is fortunate to have two quality pitchers like the Lady Raiders who are 18-1 on the year with their only loss to Aynor early in the year. Sophomore Kadence Poston is 9-0 in the circle with a sterling .036 ERA. Poston, who would love to play at Clemson one day, has 126 strike-outs in just 57.2 innings of work with only 14 walks. She and fellow senior pitcher Isabella Davis alternates at first base. Davis is 8-0 with 76 strike-outs in 45 innings of work. At the plate K. Poston is hitting .289 with 14 RBI’s and four home runs. Davis is at .317 with 11 RBI’s. Junior Jaden Lee is a complete shortstop for H-P both in the field and at the plate. She is batting .510 with 33 RBI’s including four doubles six triples and 5 home runs. Lee has speed with 14 stolen bases also. Next on the hit index is soph left fielder Savannah Owens at .364 with 10 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. Soph third baseman Chloe Cooper is at .340 with 10 RBI’s. Speedy junior center fielder Peyton Poston is batting .315 with six RBI’s and she has 14 stolen bases. Meredith Stone is the sophomore catcher batting .283 with 7 RBI. Senior RF Karah Turner is hitting .271 with 11 RBI’s. The HSSR recently talked to Lewisville head coach Jerry Thomas after his team’s two play-off wins over Thornwell (15-0) and R-S-M (19-5). “Losing to Hannah-Pamplico last year ,in a very competitive three game series, does not haunt us, and we are not seeking revenge on anyone,” said Coach Thomas, who has been the Class A runner up the past two seasons after the Lady Lions won the school’s only state softball championship in daughter when his daughter was the Class A Player of the Year. “You certainly have to have a dedicated team with solid pitching, hitting and defense, but a little luck and getting a break at the right time is a huge part of winning championships also.” The team’s only senior starter is shortstop Saleen Rollins and she is currently batting .492 with 22 stolen bases and three home runs. “She’s our team captain,” said Coach Thomas. “She’s either broken or is about to break the school’s all-time stolen base record. I know she is well over 70 stolen bases right now.” She’s a hard worker and I promise you she experienced some hurt feelings over being in the runner-up spot the past two seasons,” said Coach Thomas. “She is focused on her main goal of leaving Lewisville with a state championship.” Sarah Owens is the Lion’s sophomore pitcher. To date she has hurled 152 strike-outs in 96.7 innings of work with a 1,68 ERA. At the plate she is hitting .431 with 31 RBI’s and two home runs. “She has worked hard at becoming a good pitcher and her goal is to continue to develop towards her focus on being a pitcher at the next level. She is more balanced and focused in the circle this year and she keeps improving all the time.” Championship teams need a good battery and junior catcher Jordyn Miller is starting for the second year behind the plate. She is batting .400 with 17 RBI’s. All-region junior Sydney Rollins is a gold glove type center fielder and after two games of the playoffs she is batting .395. Other starters of the Lewisville team include first baseman Aubrey Smith (.340/15 RBI’s), freshman RF Laney Lambert (.320/10 RBI’s), freshman LF Kylee Waggoner (.255/6 RBI’s) and Kylie Flecther holds down third base (/264/11 RBI’s). The D-H is 8 th grader Kinley Lambert (.278). Abby Barnes is a gold type second baseman who tracks down bunts very well. The team's only other senior, who starts as a flex sometimes, is hard-working Emma Dorsey . “Right now, we are sitting back waiting on who wins between Dixie and Wagener-Salley on Monday,” said Coach Thomas. “If we win on Wednesday (May, 8) it looks like we will be playing either Whitmire or McBee next, depending on what they do.” Class A is divided into 8 four team districts for the play-offs. At press time McBee was in the winner’s bracket in District 1. Whitmire was in the winner’s bracket in District II followed by Lewisville in District III. Dixie was in the winner’s bracket in District four to complete the upper state bracket. 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Moncks Corner – Any team that is able to advance into the second week of the high school baseball state playoffs should be considered to have as much a chance to win it all as any other team. However, while there are teams more favored to win, there also can be a dark horse contender, or two. Or three. The Class AAAA baseball talk this spring has been about a few teams that most consider to be the team or teams to beat. Defending state champion Catawba Ridge is certainly near the top of the list as a veteran, talented team should be. The Copperheads have slipped a time or two, including in district play when they were knocked off by Laurens. Catawba Ridge will have to beat Laurens twice on May 6 to continue their title defense. Laurens, while certainly a solid team all season, would likely be in the dark horse category simply because a lot of fans outside of Laurens know a lot about the Raiders. Laurens has won more than 20 games and won the region two championship so there is certainly championship level talent and coaching. Another Upper State team with a great record but very little fanfare is Easley. The Green Wave have quietly won 24 games with a roster that includes eight seniors. Easley is hitting .360 as a team with a team ERA under two, certainly two major pluses. Senior Kaleb Owens is a candidate for AAAA player of the year as he has contributed both on the mound and at the plate. Owens is hitting .418 with 18 RBI while boasting an 8-1 pitching record and a 1.03 earned run average. Owens, however, has tons of help. Easley will soon have six players in their lineup with at least 20 RBI. Junior Aaron Tolbert leads the club with 34 runs driven in while hitting over .400. Senior Braxton Patton his hitting .409 with 26 RBI and sophomore Ayden Beeco is hitting .340 with 20 RBI. Aiding on the mound is a bevy of arms, led by Brayden Owens, another senior. Want a few more dark horses? Keep an eye on Lucy Beckham in the Lower State and Indian Land in the Upper State. Again, two talented teams that hardly anyone talks about during the season. Two teams normally in the conversation, Airport and AC Flora, have been eliminated in the district play. When looking at the favorites to win the Lower State look no further than defending Lower State champion North Myrtle Beach and James Island. Both teams have been dominant since day one of the season. The Chiefs of North Myrtle are 24-2 after three playoff wins while James Island is 24-2-1 with a preseason tournament tie on their ledger. The wise baseball sage says it takes talent and some luck to win a championship. James Island has talent, that’s for sure. Lady luck also has been on their side in the playoffs. The Trojans trailed Hartsville, 2-1, in the sixth with two outs before sophomore Trip Ostergard delivered a two-run single to push the Trojans to a 3-2 win. Against West Florence, James Island trailed 5-1 early, rallied to take a 6-5 lead but entered the bottom of the seventh down, 7-6. After the leadoff batter was hit by a pitch, James Island bunted. An errant throw to first rolled down the right field line, allowing the tying run to score. Then, as the batter, Grayson Bennett, headed for third, an errant throw got past third and he scored the winning run. “Our guys are just so competitive. They never think they are out of any game, no matter the score or the situation,” James Island coach Matt Spivey said.
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