Irmo – The 2024 state championships for SCHSL lacrosse were decided on Apr. 27 at Irmo High School with former state champions returning to glory. Former state champion Chapin beat Fort Mill, 13-4, in the Class AAAAA girls championship contest. Wando, which won a state title two years ago, won it’s seventh overall as they knocked off defending state champion Nation Ford, 17-7, for the AAAAA boys title. Bishop England won its seventh title in eight years with a 22-2 victory over Riverside in the AAAA girls final, while Lucy Beckham’s boys won their third straight title with an 8-3 win over Greenville. Chapin beats Fort Mill, 13-4, for AAAAA girls lacrosse title; first since 2019 Chapin (18-2) won its first title since 2019 and did so in dominating fashion all season. The Eagles knocked off two-time defending state champion Wando in the Lower Sate finals. Chapin also defeated Fort Mill during the regular season. The best AAAAA player in the state, Ava Grace Collins, tallied three goals to give her 95 goals on the season. “This feels so amazing, to be able to accomplish this with my best friends,” Collins said. “We have been working so hard for this. It feels surreal. Just so proud of every player because they work so hard too.” Brooke Holmes also scored three times, all in the first half, while Jules Brown scored four times in the second half. “After we beat Wando we knew that we could win today,” Brown said. “We came into this game really confident because we had beaten them in season. Confidence came a very long way for us this year. We knew that if we played the way we played on Tuesday (vs. Wando) we were unstoppable. We finally did it.” Fort Mills’s Cece Shia, a freshman, scored three goals for the Yellow Jackets (13-6). Fort Mill opened the scoring with an early goal but Chapin had the answer, many answers in fact. The Eagles scored 10 unanswered goals, taking a 7-1 halftime lead. Fort Mill scored a goal in the third and another in the fourth but could not contain Chapin’s offensive attack as Brown scored three times in the final period to put the contest on ice. “These girls have worked so hard for this, for four years, and to see it come to fruition is amazing,” Chapin coach Raven Thomas said. “We knew we were state champions as soon as the open season started. We purposely played the toughest schedule we’ve ever seen so that every game would be just as hard as the state finals. “We’ve been cut short so many times before there was nothing that was going to get in this team’s way today, We went out to win every quarter.” Bishops dominate Riverside in AAAA girls finale, 22-2 Bishop England was denied an opportunity to win a seventh consecutive state championship by the SCHSL in 2023 and left no doubt in 2024. The program was found to have used an ineligible player early last season, leading to five forfeits of wins. Bishop England did not lose a game on the field but the forfeits ultimately left the Bishops out of the state playoffs last spring. The forfeits also ended a 98-game winning streak, a streak that extended to 117 straight contests with the perfect 19-0 season. “We would have won it last year, I truly believe that,” Bishops coach Jeff Weiner said. “We were really good and we returned nine seniors this year. We certainly felt we were the best team in the state and we played all the good teams. This team simply refused to lose. Their work ethic and focus has been amazing.” Seniors Bo Rosato and Izzy Woods led the offensive onslaught with six and five goals, respectively. Woods, Rosato and fellow senior Nini Clarke scored early goals to put the pressure on Riverside. The Warriors tallied their lone goal of the first-half late in the first quarter but Bishop England ran off 10 straight goals for a commanding 13-1 advantage at the half. Bishop England allowed just two goals per game this season and goalie Lizzie Tompkins and her defensive mates in the back were again dominant. “Defense was our calling card all season,” Weiner said. “Best defensive team I’ve coached.” Weiner left his seniors on the field for the duration of the contest, giving them a chance to soak up the victory that they missed last season. “They earned the right to be on the field when the buzzer sounded,” the coach said. “It was a fitting end for them. They are a remarkable group.” Rosato, who will attend John Hopkins University in the fall, says Saturday is a day she will never forget. “This is really special, more special than the previous ones,” she said. “We came in very confident. We never get too cocky. We stay focused and we stay together. We were ready to go today.” Riverside coach Thomas Riley says his team ran into a better team. Riverside finished 17-3 this season. “It’s our third appearance in four years,” Riley said. “It’s a honor and a privilege to coach these girls in this game. What coach Weiner has done with that program is incredible. “We were loose. Just a matter of being able to hold on to the ball, which we didn’t do. It all starts with winning the draw and we had a lot of trouble with that today.” Wando captures eighth state title with win over defending champions Wando won its eighth state title in boys lacrosse, avenging a loss to Nation Ford in the finals last season. Offensive balance was again the key to success with several players scoring multiple goals in a 17-7 win. Connor Carretta led the way with four goals. Luke Moore and Connor Bennett each tallied three goals while Sean Carroll, Harris Beck and Bragg McConnell each scored two goals. “The good start was the key to game, that was our game plan, to jump on them,” Wando coach Lance Renes said. “Our objective was to get a jump on them and never stop. “We don’t focus on payback. We just focus on the task at hand. We have a lot of respect for their program but this was all about us.” Wando wasted no time taking control of the game, scoring three goals in the first four minutes for an early lead. After Nation Ford cracked the scoreboard, the Warriors went on a 5-0 run and led 8-1 after the first quarter. “We knew we had to jump on them really quickly,” Moore said. “Momentum is everything in state championship. It was good to get up early and we kept the momentum throughout the game. We were not going to lose this game.” Nation Ford rallied to tighten the game at 11-6 but the Warriors had an answer and put the game away with a solid fourth quarter. “We were a hard team to defend. The offense is well-rounded,” Renes said. “When you have that much have strength, it’s very tough. That speaks to our culture and how we like to play team lacrosse.” Nation Ford coach Cory Turner lost eight seniors from last year’s championship team but the Falcons got hot late in the season to earn another trip to the finals. “Wando is too good. If you get burned they are going to expose you. They did that today,” Turner said. “They have a great program. I would expect next year we will be right back in the thick of things. I really like what we will have coming back. This was our rebuilding year. We knew that. We put it together late and were able to get here. Eventually, next year, it will pay off.” Lucy Beckham sends coach to new job with third straight title Lucy Beckham coach Parker Ferrigan has coached his last game at the program he started in 2021. Ferrigan went out in style with a third consecutive state title and the Bengals did not lose to an in-state school over the last three seasons. “Our team was so dedicated and so focused on winning this for coach,” senior Ryan McCarthy said. “He did so much for all of us and he started the program from scratch. We all owe him a lot and we’re glad we could do this for him.” Ferrigan is headed to a new coaching position in Tennessee but watched his 2024 team close out a season that almost wasn’t. Due to an offseason rules violation, Lucy Beckham was initially banned from postseason play by the SCHSL. The school won an appeal before the state’s appellate panel in February and had their postseason opportunity reinstated, though they did suffer other sanctions. “I think we are grateful that we had an opportunity to finish with everything that was going on,” Ferrigan said, “I think it made us appreciate everything a lot. Everything we went through brought us together and made us stronger. Really proud of these guys.” The championship contest was competitive throughout but Lucy Beckham never trailed. Sophomore Nolan Elwood scored two first half goals and Colton Bennett added a score to put the Bengals up 3-0 midway through the second period. After Greenville scored to cut the lead to 3-1, the Bengals scored twice in the final two minutes on goals by McCarthy and Web Perry. Perry’s crucial goal came with less than a second remaining in the first half. Each team scored once in the third period with Griff Berry giving the Bengals a 6-2 lead moving into the fourth quarter. The Raiders got a goal from Capers Gross to make it 6-3 but Beckham’s Austin Constable answered to make it 7-3 with 8:03 remaining in the contest. Two minutes later Wyatt Coombs made it 8-3. “I don’t think many people in the state expected us to come out and fight like hell,” Greenville coach Andrew Tillman said. “Our kids played hard. We believed in ourselves and believed in the type of team we were. Offensively, we missed some shots that we normally don’t but you have to credit Lucy Beckham’s defense. They’re a quality team.”

Championship series in all four classes set for May 13, 14 and 16

Stallions eighth-grade pitcher Abby Ward sets school record for strikeouts in a season

Molly Jones wins 4 events for girls; Hugh Humphries, Tucker Burnette lead boys

Tigers, Wildcats open state playoffs on May 1

Larry Gamble Photo Editor, HSSR Photos from the Girls Soccer game, at John Mckissick Field, as Summerville HS defeated Goose Creek 5-2 on Wednesday. High resolution prints and digital downloads from this event are available at www.LarryGamble.com by clicking this link to the photos.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Summerville — One day after a hard-fought loss to arch-rival Fort Dorchester (5-4), the Summerville Green Wave girls’ soccer team defeated Goose Creek , 5-2 and will now prepare for a first-round playoff game at Cane Bay on April, 30. Senior tri-captain Mary Morgan Lewis made some scrap-book memories in her final two regular season games for the Green Wave. The talented “left-footed” striker left it all on the field against the Patriots, scoring a Hat-trick with three goals, while often being double teamed. Lewis followed that accomplishment up with two goals against Goose Creek 24 hours later on John McKissick Field . “Last night’s game against the Fort was exhausting, and I came into this game today with tired legs and bruises all over my body, but you have to want it, and you have to keep going,” said Lewis who hopes to walk-on to the team (or play Club Soccer) at South Carolina next season. “I am a very competitive player and I love to win. “I know sometimes, in my desire to win, I might take it out on my team as a captain, but I hate to lose and I love the game of soccer,” said Lewis. “I have been playing soccer for the past 11 years and I just do not want this season to end.” Lewis leads the Green Wave in goals for the season as she scored her 16 th and 17 th goals of the season against the Gators. Lewis joined the varsity program at Summerville High late in her freshman season. She has been a three-year starter for the Green Wave and she was named all-region in her sophomore and junior seasons. She is an All-State candidate this season. After the win over Goose Creek, Summerville head coach Mandy Holcomb (who played under retired Drew McNealey at West Ashley High) commented on the game, and on the leadership of tri-captains Lewis, mid-fielder Meghan Donoghue , and mid-fielder Logan Kelly . “You always worry about playing a game the next day after a very competitive game like we had against Fort Dorchester last night,” said Coach Holcomb now in her third year coaching the team. “Even after we got down 2-0, I knew our girl’s had a lot of trust in each other and it was still early in the game. Much of this sport is a mentality thing and I had confidence in this team getting more mentally focused after getting down early.” Coach Holcomb talked about the team’s captains. “Mary Morgan brings a lot of energy to the game and she leads this team both on- and- off the field,” said Coach Holcomb. “On the field it is always about the goals she scores. Mary Morgan has also been a good role model for our younger players coming up. We have a lot of youth on the team. “Meghan plays center- mid along with our other captain Logan Kelly and they are able to dominate in the middle,” said Coach Holcomb. “Meghan is dynamic in that she is all over place and she is hard to nail down. Logan is cool, calm and collected and she is the yang to Mary Morgan’s yang. I rely on Logan to control the middle.” Freshman Mary Bryce Nye had a hat trick of three goals against Goose Creek and she has a bright future in the sport. The Green Wave goalie is sophomore Addison Rollinson and she is consistent with her towering major college boots “high down the field” on a consistent basis. Goose Creek head coach Chris Cooper told the HSSR after the game, “We were leading 2-0 before our striker ( Maya Gonzales ) went out with an ankle injury,” said Coach Cooper. “She is our leader on offense so losing her was a blow to the team.” Gonalez scored the first goal of the game just two minutes into the game when she made a heads-up play beating the goalie to the ball in front of the goal for an easy score. The other goal for Goose Creek was scored by senior team captain Kamily Santanna who also assisted on the first goal. Summerville rallied for five straight goals after being down 2-0. At the 17:02 mark of the first half Lewis scored on a break-away from a cross-over assist from Nye to cut the deficit to 2-1. With 1:30 left in the first half, Nye tied the score at 2 off of a penalty kick. Summerville dominated the second half and the Green Wave kept the ball on their offensive side of the field for the second half. At the 30:09 mark of the second half Nye scored on a header off a corner kick to give Summerville a 3-2 lead. At the 18:49 mark of the second half, Lewis scored on an unassisted “streak shot” from the right side using her strong left-foot to arc over the goalie’s head into the back of the net to give her team a 4-2 lead. Nye scored the final goal of the game at the 11:08 mark of the game on an unassisted goal from the left side of the field.

Division I will be 26 largest schools; Division II will have 28 schools

Kennedy will be joined by Kingstree's Smith, Ashley Ridge's Tate, Pelion's Holland Clover's Woolbright

Wildcats, Lions to face off in Dillon on Friday for second in Region 7-AAA

Murells Inlet - Myrtle Beach High School , a tough AAAA girls soccer team, took on AAAAA powerhouse St James with the Seahawks looking for revenge on the 1-0 loss to the Sharks on Feb 24. It was not the night for Seahawks as they lost 5-0. St James entered the non-region match with a 15-3 record and are 8-0 in region play. The Seahawks fell to 12-7 overall and are 9-1 in their region.

Fort Mill, Catawba Ridge, Hanahan, Gray Collegiate, Southside Christian still respective No. 1s

Summerville, Catawba Ridge, Aynor, Gray Collegiate, Hannah-Pamplico remain atop respective polls

Tigers can still wrap up No. 1 seed with win in special playoff game

Football championship games to be played at S.C. State again

Softball images from WA taking on Florence Christian where they earned a 8-0 win. Photos courtesy of Angela Feagin. 

Moss had 186 career wins, led East Clarendon to 1985 state title

Defending Class A state champion Lady Raiders top East Clarendon 16-5

No. 1 teams remain the same in all five polls

No changes at top of polls

Warhorses remain undefeated in Region 6-AA with come-from-behind win

Devore gets called third strike to end game with tying run on base

Kason Herlong has big night both at plate and on mound to lead Wild Gators

Furse led Laurence Manning to AAAA state title game in both years as head coach

Indians improve to 2-0 in region to set up showdown with Northside Christian on Thursday

Stags improve to 3-0 in region with triumph

Pamplico – As the defending state champions in Class A softball, the Hannah-Pamplico Raiders have a target on their back in 2024. Nonetheless, this year’s team has enough talent and experience to make another run at the state championship, according to coach Amber Knight. “It was clear early in pre-season that the girls and coaching staff were feeling the pressure, coming off the programs first-ever State Championship Title win,” Knight reports. “We lost some key players from last year's roster, but the team has looked strong early on this year, currently sitting at 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in the region. “We have worked to establish the team as their own identity for the 2024 season, not a continuation of the 2023 State Champions. Our team looks different both in the field and at the plate, but as I have told the girls many times, different doesn't mean bad. We have a strong junior and sophomore class and two phenomenal pitchers that we think can take us back to the state championship playoffs.” Handling the duties inside the pitching circle are senior Isabella Davis and sophomore Kadence Poston. Each also plays first base when the other is pitching. In the early going, the duo has combined for 86 strikeouts and only six walks in the first 40 innings of the season. The first seven opponents managed just five runs. Lining up around the field defensively, junior Payten Poston is in centerfield while junior Jadan Lee is the shortstop. Sophomore Meredith Stone is the catcher and senior Madison Rodgers plays second base. Sophomore Chloe Cooper is the normal starter at third. Sophomore Savannah Owens starts in left and senior Karah Turner is in right. Adding depth defensively are freshman Allie Nettles (OF, 2B), sophomore Khloe Jones (OF, SS) and eighth-grader London Lee (3B/C). Offensively, Lee is the top performer, hitting .429 with three homers and 15 RBI in the first seven games. Lee hit .518 with 19 RBI last season. Owens batted .333 early on while Stone was at .294 and Poston at .386. Davis also is a capable hitter, hitting .362 last season. “Offensively, we have played well and have put up good numbers, we just haven't started stringing hits together to create those big innings,” Knight said. “A strong start to the season has the coaches optimistic. We are in a good place to make a run for the region title, hit our stride in the playoffs, and hopefully return to the state playoffs in late May.”

Lake View – After coming up short in their bid for a Class A state championship a year ago, the baseball program at Lake View High is hoping for another shot in 2024. The Wild Gators lost to Southside Christian in the Class A finals, a best-of-three format, after winning the Lower State title. Winning state championships is nothing new for the program. Under veteran coach Kip Herlong, the Wild Gators have won eight state championships and the coach recorded his 600 th career victory early in the 2024 campaign. “It’s a good accomplishment but it basically means I have been able to do this for a very long time and we’ve had some great young men come through our program,” Herlong said recently. The coach says milestones are something he will likely cherish after his career is complete and winning games in the past does not replace the sting of losing in the championship. Herlong feels his 2024 team is capable of another run through the Lower State but insists his team is not the favorite. “Some good Class A baseball teams in the Lower State and it’s a real dogfight every year,” Herlong said. “We have a good group this year. They have worked hard. We have some kids who are in their fourth or fifth year in the program and they understand what it takes in terms of work and effort. This team has good senior leadership and those four or five guys want to go out in style. We return all but three starters, but those three that we lost were really good players.” Lake View is out of the gate in a good way this spring. After losing their season opener, the Wild Gators entered spring break on an eight-game winning streak, including a 3-0 start in region play. Herlong says his team will not participate in any spring break tournaments but will have games against Lamar and Carver’s Bay to stay sharp. Herlong feels he has four quality arms to anchor the pitching staff. Logging most of the innings on the mound are juniors Chris McGill and Kason Herlong, senior Luke Price, and sophomore Chase Price. McGill has notched four early wins with a 0.87 earned run average. Luke Price and Herlong each have two wins. “I think pitching and defense will be our strengths,” the coach said. Herlong (.517) and McGill (.414) also rate as two of the leaders offensively. Luke Price is hitting .400 early and sophomore second baseman Ian Capps is hitting .385 through the first nine games. Senior Tucker Bass returns behind the plate with junior Braydon Borders also seeing action. Bass also can play in leftfield. McGill and Chase Price hold down first base while Herlong is the shortstop. Luke Price and Chase Price share duties at third base. With Bass working in left, seniors Parker Ammons and DJ Hardee hold down center and right, respectively. “We don’t have a lot of burners on the basepaths but we try to be sound in what we do,” Herlong said. Lake View faces stiff competition within the region with solid teams at Green Sea Floyds, Latta and Hannah-Pamplico. The Wild Gators needed nine innings to beat Latta, 8-7, and beat Green Sea Floyds, 3-2, the first time around. “It’s a very competitive region and any team truly can win on a given night,” Herlong said. “It’s important that we continue to work and improve. We need to come around a little more offensively and I am starting to see some positive signs. Just have to keep working at it.”

Former Monarch third baseman hopes steady JV team will solidify program

Lake City – Long-time head softball coach Scotty Phillips knows his tenure at Carolina Academy is winding down. However, the 61-year old Phillips would love to see his current team through for the next few years. Phillips feels he has a team capable of making a serious run at championships, though it may not be in 2024. The coach has one of the youngest varsity teams in SCISA Class AAA, a roster with no seniors, no juniors and only three sophomores. In fact, Carolina Academy had to petition the SCISA powers that be to allow seventh-graders to participate on the varsity level so they would be able to field a team this spring. “We’re young, really like a junior varsity team playing a varsity schedule,” Phillips says. “Our jayvee team is basically a b-team. We’re very young across the board.” Youthful enthusiasm, says the coach, can be an advantage. “They have a lot of energy and they work and play hard,” the coach said. “They’re a pretty talented little group. I think this team has a lot of potential and I am excited to see where they end up in a year or two. They are competing.” While wins have been hard to come by (the record heading into spring break is 3-6), the Lady Bobcats are competitive in most every game. Among the early wins was a victory over perennial state title contender Williamsburg Academy. Carolina Academy is well-stocked with young pitching potential. Sophomore Raeley Frye is the top performer inside the circle and continues to show steady improvement. “The biggest thing with her is consistency,” Phillips says. “She is really good and can mix up the pitches. When she’s consistent early in the count, she can be very tough. She has a great future.” Eighth-grader Lauren Sims and eighth-grader Ella Ham also get work inside the circle. Sims also plays third base defensively while Ham is the starting centerfielder. Behind the dish is sophomore Carly Ann Smith, a returning starter from last season. Eighth-grader Lexi McCutcheon is starting at first base while seventh-grader Paisley McCutcheon is working at second base. One of the top offensive threats is freshman shortstop Kelsie Smith, who is hitting around .500 with three homers early on. “She’s a player, a really good hitter that’s going to be something to watch for the next few years,” Phillips said. Seventh-grader Natalie Brayboy is starting in leftfield while eighth-grader Paisley Coker and sophomore Jennifer Vargas are sharing time in right field. Sophomore Hannah Grace Matthews also is seeing some work as an outfielder. “This is going to be a good team,” Phillips predicts. “We just need to grow, get stronger and keep improving. Varsity softball is a lot different than junior varsity softball.”

Johnsonville – A 3-3 start to the regular season, along with a championship in a preseason tournament, has Johnsonville High softball coach Walter Clark feeling good about his team’s chances of being a strong contender in the Class A postseason. “We’re good enough to be competitive with every team that we play,” Clark said. “We have some good players back so experience is a strength for us. Offensively I think we can hit enough to create some runs. We seem to be solid defensively and we have solid pitching.” The Flashes split two key region games with East Clarendon, leaving the teams in a tie for the region lead. It’s not likely either will lose a region game the rest of the way. “We had two really close games with them,” Clark said. “They beat us by two runs and we beat them by a run, We led the game we lost in the sixth inning so we had a chance. They are a good team and we competed with them down to the end.” After spring break, Johnsonville will test themselves against the defending Class A state champions from Hannah-Pamplico, which Clark says will be good preparation for the state playoffs. Clark entered the season having to replace four seniors and has infused some young talent with a handful of veteran performers. Two of the three starters in the outfield – leftfielder Kristin Smith and rightfielder Chloe Cribb – are seniors. Sophomore Brianna Lawrimore is the starter in center. Freshman Payton Wall is starting behind the plate and was a starter last season. Wall is hitting .476 early on this spring. Freshman Mallory Prosser is playing first base and is hitting .432 with two homeruns early on. Sophomore Allison Eaddy is starting at second and has shown potential offensively. Junior Blair Coker is a third-year starter at shortstop and a returning all-state selection. Coker is hitting .410 early on. Senior Nicole Cook hits leadoff and plays third base. Cook was the starter in centerfield last spring but has been strong defensively in her new position while hitting .438. Inside the pitching circle, sophomore Natalie Taylor is the number one performer, posting a 1.56 earned run average early on. Prosser and Wall also see time as pitchers but Taylor and Prosser are the top two. “I am excited to see how far we can go with this team,” Clark said. “Hopefully we can continue to improve and be playing our best ball when it counts. There are some good teams to contend with in the Lower State but I feel like we can compete with anyone if we play to our potential.”

James Island – Armed with a young but talented group this spring, James Island head baseball coach Matt Spivey sees the potential for great things in 2024. The Trojans are considered one of the top five teams in Class AAAA this season, along with defending state champion Catawba Ridge, defending Lower State champion North Myrtle Beach, Laurens and Airport. The Trojans have yet to lose a game through 13 outings, winning 12 games and posting a 0-0 tie against Lugoff-Elgin in a preseason tournament. Spivey, now in year seven as head coach, has perhaps his best team yet. “We’re still a relatively young team but I knew we had a chance to be competitive,” Spivey said. “I’m not sure I expected us to be this good but I think this is a team full of competitors. They love to play and they have played very hard so far.” James Island counts early season wins over Summerville and Hanahan, while also notching wins over AAAA contender Eastside and AAAAA Ashley Ridge. Offensively, some of the top early performers include sophomore shortstop Taj Marchand (.448), junior catcher Stow Rogers (.343) and junior corner infielder Jake Amman (.531). Senior Grayson Bennett leads the team with 13 RBI. Amman has driven in 11 runs while Marchand has nine RBI. The Trojans are hitting right at .300 as a team but the offense is successful in several areas. “This is probably the most competitive offensive team I’ve had,” Spivey said, “We have good gap to gap power and we run well. Our speed allows is to put pressure on teams defensively. We have guys that grind out at bats. They don’t give away anything. They bunt, run, play smart.” Anchoring the pitching staff is senior Kyle Stock, with solid help from junior left-hander Collin Anderson and a bevy of other arms. Stock has a 0.35 earned run average in his first 20 innings of work. Anderson is at 1.11 in 19 innings. Each has three early wins. Marchand has yet to allow an earned run in 11 innings of mound work. James Island was ranked fourth in the most recent AAAA poll by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association. Most consider the Trojans the top team in the Lowcountry amongst all classifications. But, while appreciative of the notoriety for his program, Spivey knows polls in March and April are not important in the grand scheme. How his team plays in May will determine their ultimate ranking. “The rankings are good recognition for our kids and how hard they work but they really don’t mean anything,” Spivey said. “We all know that the playoffs are what matters and it is important that we continue to improve. To be honest, we don’t practice well. They show up ready on game day but I keep telling these guys we have to practice better.”

Little River – The North Myrtle Beach high baseball program has been knocking on the door of a state championship in recent years. The hope is they kick down the door in 2024. The Chiefs took a major step last spring, winning the AAAA Lower State championship and reaching the AAAA state championship series. Unfortunately, the Chiefs lost the best-of-three series to Catawba Ridge. Nonetheless, reaching the state finals was a big accomplishment and with a solid cast of returning players this season, coach Brian Alderson has high expectations. “This team has lots of potential,” the coach said. “We will, I believe, definitely have the pitching to make a strong run again. My concern is defensively we have been sloppy at times. We have made 15 errors in our first nine games but 12 came in our one week two game series with West Florence. We have to play cleaner defensively because our pitching is good enough to give us a chance.” The Chiefs have won nine of their first 11 games this season, losing once to West Florence in a region 6-AAAA matchup and losing to AAAAA power Fort Mill in a preseason tournament. Alderson, now in his 10 th season, says some of the early issues defensively may be due to his team playing a little tight. “Everyone has told this team how good they are and I think maybe the pressure is building,” the coach said. “We just need to relax and trust what we are capable of doing. Just play the game. If we play good defensively we can compete with any team in the state.” Pitching is clearly a strength of this year’s squad. Led by junior righty Luke Roupe, a Vanderbilt commit, and 6-4 senior southpaw Josh Surigao, a Hawaii commit, the Chiefs have two of the top arms in the state. Adding depth is USC Upstate commit Austin Long, a senior, along with senior lefty Cody Rice and sophomore Sawyer Smith, a University of North Carolina commit. Smith also is the starting shortstop while Rice plays first base. Roupe plays third defensively. Junior catcher CJ Oxendine is strong behind the plate and has committed to play at Virginia Tech. Peyton Gallup sees time at third when Roupe pitches while junior Asa Board and Connor Helmecki work at second base. Junior Gabe Kuznik starts in right field with Campbell Kingston working in left. Mason Cox is the starter in center, moving over from leftfield. “Offensively, the top of the order has been pretty solid so we’re trying to get more consistent production from the bottom,” Alderson said. “The potential is there. We just have to keep working at it. These next few weeks will be really important for us.” In softball, coach Danny Susral has his team sitting at 6-8 overall and 3-3 in region play entering spring break. The Chiefs will play some spring break games before getting back into the regular season with several key region games upcoming. The bulk of the playing time this season is shared by underclassmen with only one senior, outfielder Mary Beth Carrick, seeing regular action as a starter. Handling the bulk of the pitching duties this season are junior Nealy Lockner and sophomore Sierra Bendik, who also share duties at shortstop. Lockner has four wins and Bendik has two. Lockner also is hitting ,343 early on. Junior Kiera Olson is working in center and hitting .414 early on. Sophomore Sadie Olson is catching and hitting .349, while sophomore third baseman Isabella Bruno leads the team in hitting with a .440 average and nine RBI’s. Sophomore Hadley Leonhardt is hitting .385 with nine RBI’s and sophomore Lily Carney plays first base and is hitting .440 with a team-high 11 RBI’s. Junior Ellie Joynson and sophomore Cheyenne Davis are playing second base.

Hayes returns to alma mater for first head coaching job

Kremer trying to build Knights baseball program

Marion baseball team starts 4-0 in Region 8-AA

EC softball team starts 7-5 in first year under Jason Newsome

Saints baseball team splits first six games