Barnwell Softball Focused On Deep Play-off Run In 2025 With A Good Blend of Talent

Billy Baker • March 28, 2025


By Billy G. Baker

Publisher


Barnwell—After winning 230 games as the head softball coach at Blackville-Hilda, Mike Beasley took over the Barnwell High softball program two years ago, and his teams are 36-8 over the past two seasons and the 2025 season could be even more promising.

“We had 24 players try out for the junior varsity and varsity softball teams at Barnwell this season and 10 of them were 7th graders,” said Coach Beasley. “I currently have three 7th graders on the varsity and two of them are starters.


“For the past three seasons this 7th grade group (Dixie Pony Tails) played for regional championships at the rec level, and last season they went down to Louisiana and won the Dixie Pony Tails world championship” said Coach Beasley. “So, these 7th graders in our program right now have a lot of potential and the majority of them could be very special players five years from now when they are coming out of high school.”


Coach Beasley said he and his staff hosted a “Community Village Meet and Greet” activity before the season began on the softball field. “We primarily wanted to recognize all the youth softball coaches from our community, who have done a fantastic job helping to develop a feeder program for our junior varsity and varsity programs,” said Coach Beasley. “Trust me, it makes your job easier as a high school coach when the majority of the players in your program are already fundamentally sound from having played rec ball and summer ball at an early age. We very much appreciate all these volunteer coaches for the work that they have done working with these young girls that we are fortunate to coach at the high school level.”


The team is 2-0 in the young 2025 season with two 15-0 wins over Lake Marion.



The return of two-time HSSR all-state senior pitcher Jaidyn Devore gives the Lady Warhorses fire power in the circle. In the early signing period Devore signed with Howard University as a pitcher. As a junior Devore recorded 197 K’s in compiling a 15-3 record in the circle. She had an ERA of 1.20. 


“Jaidyn is a much stronger pitcher this season, and she was already a strong pitcher,’ said Coach Beasley. “Her fast ball moves from the mid to the high 60’s. Her out-pitch is her screw ball and it breaks really well. She faced only three batters in the season start against Lake Marion and she struck-out all three baters. We had scored 15 runs in the top of the first so the game was called after one inning.”


The team graduated  all-star catcher Bre’Anna Buckmon who hit .364. Her replacement this season is junior Brianna Croft who was the back-up catcher last season.


Senior first baseman Tierra Arnold has signed with Johnson C. Smith and she has been in the program since the 7th grade. Arnold batted .288 with 18 RBI’s including five triples. Arnold is also a back-up pitcher and she was 2-0 as a junior with 14 K’s in 8 innings of work.


Sophomore Molly Wilson returns for her second season starting at second base. Senior Brooklyn Gordan will return at third base after hitting .305 last season with seven RBI’s and a home run. 


The shortstop position is being held down by 7th grader Shalayah Badger who is also a pitcher and catcher. “Shalayah can play just about anywhere,” said Coach Beasley. :She is the true definition of a utility player.” Kinsley Terrapin is a 7th grader who will share time at shortstop, and she is a promising pitcher who pitched a perfect game against Lake Marion in the second game of the season.


The other 7th grade starter is Genesis Walker who will be the team’s designated hitter. Walker will also see action at first and behind the plate.


Sophomore Laney Grubbs begins her third season on the varsity and she will start in left field. Grubbs batted .305 with 10 RBI’s last season. In the circle she was 3-1 and had 20 K’s in 13 innings of work. Junior starting right fielder Abigail Crosby is a returning all-region player who batted .370 with 14 RBI’s and three triples.


Sophomore Kendall O’Berry returns to once again start in center field. “We call Kendall the ESPN player on the team because of a shoe string catch she made in a game last year that would have made one of the Top 10 ESPN plays if they could have seen it,” said Coach Beasley. “She has a great glove and runs really well also.”


Some key reserve players include returning junior Layla Bishop who will see some action in left field along with junior Shaylyn Badger who will back up first and third base. 


Barnwell will play a full 26-game schedule in 2025. “We have a strong group of 8 non-region opponents,” said Coach Beasley. “They include Saluda, South Aiken, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Woodland, Colleton County, Branchville, Wagener-Salley, and Silver Bluff,” said Coach Beasley. ”All three of our teams at Barnwell have been pretty equal but this is the team that has the best blend of talent in all grades.


“Our goals are to seek to improve every day in practice while staying focused on winning a region title,” said Coach Beasley. “We hope to advance out of the district in the play-offs, and this has been an issue the past two seasons. Hopefully, we can compete for a state title this season.”  

   


By Billy Baker April 23, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Bamberg —The Class AA HSSR third ranked Barnwell Warhorses and the Class A Bamberg - Ehrhardt Raider baseball teams have both already won region titles, and they will both host four-team district play-offs in early May, so they met in a play-off tune-up game on Tuesday night with Barnwell winning 12-1. The two teams also met on April, 9 with Barnwell prevailing 3-0 in that game. Barnwell senior ace pitcher Cameron Austin, a five time all-region and four-time all-state honoree , improved his record to 5-2 on the season working five innings against the Raiders. Austin had six K’s and allowed only four hits. On the season, Austin has worked 39.1 innings with 58 K’s with a 1.23 ERA. The top hitters for Barnwell in the win were outfielder Tommy Reid with two hits, while Austin collected three RBI’s and scored two runs. Three players, Hayden Pierce, senior catcher Kaleb McCormack, and third baseman Trey Boleman , each had one hit and one RBI respectively . Carl Hines added a hit also. Bamberg was hampered by giving up 10 walks and four errors during the game. The Raiders were led at the plate by left-fielder Weston Stokes who went 2-of- three. He also saw late action on the mound. The team’s other two hits came from second baseman Dakota Black and center fielder Brent Amaker . The starting pitcher for B-E was Cooper Sandifer who worked 4.2 innings, giving up three hits with six K’s. After the game, Barnwell head coach Cody McCollum shared some thoughts with the HSSR. “We always have a good chance of winning with Cameron on the mound, especially when he is throwing strikes, and the guys are playing good defense behind him; and we are swinging the bats well,” said Coach McCollum, who played baseball at Barnwell where he graduated in 2012. “They walked a lot of guys tonight and that helped us too. “Winning the region was something I talked about with the boys at the beginning of the season because I felt like this team was good enough to go undefeated in the region,” said Coach McCollum. “We fell a little short last year, losing a region game to Edisto, and that stuck in the back of our heads, and this year our expectation was to go 10-0 in the region. “Our other internal goal is to win at least 20 games before the playoffs start and we are 18-4 right now, with four games left,” said Coach McCollum. “We need to win at least two more. We play Batesburg - Leesville tomorrow, (April, 23), South Aiken twice next week, and Woodland one more time. We are going to try hard to get two more wins.” Coach McCollum said that Austin, batting .468 with 26 RBI’s and six home runs, has played more third base, when not pitching this season. “Before I came back to Barnwell last year, I was at Hampton, and I had to coach against him, and I glad he is now on my team. He’s a very good player.” Coach McCollum said Barnwell has relied on Austin, and three other seniors for most of the load this season. “We have a sophomore and a freshman starting in the middle, and we have two sophomore starters in the outfield, and a junior started in center field tonight,” said Coach McCollum. “We are kind of young and old at the same time. “The other seniors are Kaleb McCormack , our catcher, who has improved his hitting this season along with and Trey Boleman who started at third tonight and Hayden Pierce was at first tonight, and he hit a double off the wall. Kaleb is a very good on defense behind the plate and we feel good about him, behind the plate, regardless of who is pitching.” Case Davis is a freshman starting shortstop with a .411 batting average. Pierce is at .390 and McCormick is at .289 with 16 RBI’s and a .999 fielding percentage. Joe Huggins is the DH and he is hitting .367. Sophomore Dakota Black starts at second. Tommy Reid is a junior center fielder currently batting .333.  Vincent Gibson is a sophomore in the outfield for Barnwell. Jax Mead is a sophomore starting at second base. Caiden Roland is the sophomore starting right fielder. Some additional Barnwell pitching depth has come from, Pierce (5-0, 35 K’s, ERA 2.54), along with Bradley Richardson (2-0, 9 K’s), Boleman (26-K’s) and Davis (24 K’s with a 1.07 ERA). After the game, Bamberg Ehrhardt (8-6) head coach Gene Schwarting told the HSSR, “We have three 8 graders who start for us, two 9 th graders, one sophomore, a junior and two seniors so for the most part we are a young team,” said Coach Schwarting. “Our two seniors, Weston Stokes and Brent Amaker are co-captains” Stokes is the team’s number one pitcher. Stokes started in left against Barnwell and batted lead-off. Amaker started in center and batted third. Nasi Singleton, an 8 th grader , will typically start in the outfield and Garrett Wade usually starts at third base. Chip Brewer, or Stokes, will start at short and Dakota Black is at second while 8 th grader Chase Collins holds down first. Asiel Graham is usually the starting B-E catcher, backed up by Davis Ehrhardt . Singleton is the top hitter for the Raider at .477 and 8 RBI’s. Stokes is at .410 and 12 RBI’s. Black is third on the hit index at .333 and 15 RBI’s. Other top hitters include: Amaker (.317 with 17 RBI’s & a HR), Wade (.306 & 10 RBI’s) along with Cooper Sandifer (.300 & five RBI’s). Stokes has 26 innings pitched with 48 K’s. Sandifer has worked 22.1 innings on the mound with 38 K’s, and Brewer has 14 innings pitched to date with 25 K’s. “In terms of our pitching this season, it has been pretty good, but at times it has also been like a roller- coaster,” said Coach Schwarting. “We will pitch well one game, and not so well the next game. We also need to improve on our timely hitting before we start the play-offs also. “The other night we lost to Orangeburg Prep 6-3, and we left the bases loaded in the second, third, fourth and 5 th innings,” said Coach Schwarting. “”We have to get stronger in our hitting, up and down the line-up, one through nine. “Our pitching has been outstanding, our defense has been solid, and we just need to do a much better job getting hits with runners on base,” said Coach Schwarting, a Bamberg-Ehrhardt graduate now in his 7 th season as the Raiders head coach.
By Staff Reports April 23, 2025
These players are some of the best talent South Carolina has on the softball diamond. Since the switch to fast pitch ball, student athletes playing softball are stepping up to the next level play. We salute these ladies and wish them all the best in the future. (Coaches please Nominate your Players at hsreport@aol.com ) HSSR 2025 SC Senor Softball Prospects 1. Ainsley Bennett-Summerville-P- SC (2 Time Gatorade POY) 2. Maddie Johnson-Aynor-RHP-67 MPH-CLEMSON 3. Sarah Rocheleau-Catawba Ridge-OF-(All-State) CLEMSON 4. Mandy Wells-Clarendon Hall-SS (35 Career HR/.531 career) 5. Melanie Edwards-Summerville-1B- (All-State) UNC-C 6. Ellanie Yarrell-Byrnes-P-C-(’24 R-POY) SC State 7. Abby Driscoll-Summerville-C-(All-State) C of C 8. Jaidyn Devore-Barnwell-P-(538 Career K’s)-HOWARD 9. Maddie Wiant-Byrnes-P-(Mid 60’s)-Winthrop 10. Addison Miller-Oceanside Collegiate-3B—(.468, 30-RBI) TOWSON 11. Maddie Berry-Latta-P-(All-State-65 MPH) Wofford 12. Cierra Grice-Dillon -3B/C-(3X All-State)-PC 13. Kaylee Hannon-Byrnes-P-1B-(5 Yr. Starter) Winthrop 14. Sydney Rollins-Lewisville-CF 15. Larosia Sanders-Colleton County-P/SS-SC State 16. Maddox Long-Gray Collegiate-P/3rd- 17. Peyton Perry-South Florence-P-COKER 18. Laila Landrum-Woodmont-CF/P-USC Upstate 19. Cassidy Neves-Woodmont-OF-(L-L)-USC Aiken 20. Lauren Childress-Woodmont-1B-SMC 21. Kara Davis-Byrnes-CF (L-L) (2X All-Region) Anderson 22. Brooklyn Amble-Byrnes-LF-(All-Region) North Greenville 23. Madison Thieke-Riverside-OF-(.442)-Wofford 24, Ella Sheorn-Lugoff-Elgin-1B-OF- 25. Calli Yount-Clarendon Hall-P 26. Ariana Evans-Sumter-CF- 27. Grace Terry-Oceanside Collegiate-UTIL-(.382/35RBI)COKER 28 Allie Simpson-Dixie-1B-(22 RBI) 29. Grace Terry-Oceanside Collegiate-C-(.382/35 RBI) COKER 30. Carter Shumate-Hartsville-1B-(Academics-SC) .584/24 RBI 31. Laila Landrum-Woodmont-RHP-OF- 32. Jenna Cecere-Mauldin-OF 33. Jaysha McCullough-Hartsville-OF-(current/.622) 34. Jaylin McGee-Easley-RHP 35. Hannah Andrews-Fox Creek-CF (.459,25 RBI) Columbia 36. Blair Elliott-GSF-C- 37. Maggie Harrington-Clarendon Hall-CF 38. Jasmine Grant-Fox Creek-1B-(.351) Lander 39. Hannah Andrews-Fox Creek-CF- (.459/25RBI) 40. 34. Addyson Snellings-Fox Creek-RHP 41. Sydney Rhodes-Sumter-RF- .451 42. Jordyn Miller-Lewisville-C-(.425/4 HR) 43, Alainia Brown-Aynor-SS-LANDERR 44. Ruby Powell-Ridge-Spring-Monetta-C-(.431/18 RBI) 45. Dacey Phillips-Gaffney-1B/3B-North Greenville 46. Claire Eskridge-Pee Dee Academy—OF- 47. Hollie Scott-Lake View-1B-(.403-All-Region) 48. Jaden Jones-Hannah-Pamplico-SS- 49. Riley Rabon-Aynor-C-ERSKINE 50. Hannah Lewis-Aynor-C-ERSKINE Best Of The Rest In 2025 SC Softball Class (No Particular Order) Caroline Gaskins-Aynor-OF-BELMONT ABBEY Savannah Gerald-Aynor-1B-Columbia Inter. Allie Bailey-Hartsville-P-(12-4/2.51/ERA) Brooklyn Moon-Berkeley-C-Chatt St. Reese Watson-Berkeley P— Madison House-Spartanburg-Utiity Lillian Fowler-Dorman-SS Holly Carnes-Branchville-P Janiyah Squire-Ninety-Six-P Emma Timmons-Buford-SS/2B Caroline Plyer-Buford-/B/P (8th grade) Maya Van Zyl-Blythewood-C Emma Timmons-Buford-SS/2B Maya Van Zyl-Blythewood-C HSSR SC Class of 2026 Softball Prospects (Jr.) 1. Caroline Davis-Union County-3B (467 9 HR) 2. Katie Guilliam-Summerville-SS- (.463, 5 HR) MISSOURI 3. Olivia Miller-Indian Land-P-SC (12-4,88-K’s) 4. Myah Harvey-Hartsville-SS-(.583/5/HR) WOFFORD 5. Prestan Schurlknight-Orangeburg-Prep-SS (.756/9HR) Lander 6. Alivia Hess-Aynor-P-(10-1/.48 ERA) Tenn Martin 7. Daphne Frady-Summerville-2B/3B-(.442/14 RBI) 8 Memory Melton-Byrnes-RF-(L-R) Strong Arm 9 Sarah Owens-Lewisville-P-(195 K’s, 1.64 ERA) 10. Korbyn Lydia-Gaffney-SS- (All-State)-USC Upstate 11. Kadence Poston-Hannah-Pamplico-P-WESTERN Car. 12.. Maddie Coward-Pee Dee Academy-P- Wofford 13. Maddie Hutto-Bamberg-Ehrhardt-P-(62-plus) 14. Logan Thomas-Indian Land-C-USC Aiken (.378/4HR) 15. Maliyah Campbell-Woodmont-P/DP-SC State 16. Frances Laughlin-Heathwood Hall-IF/OF-WOFFORD 17. Hailey Carguile-Woodmont-C-USC Union 18. Brooklyn Holmes-Colleton County-IF/CF (.651) 19. Natalie Regan-Riverside-OF-Western Carolina 20. Allie Royer-White Knoll-CF-North Greenville 21. Levi Warran-Lexington-OF- (.500-plus) 22. Emily Geddes-North Augusta-2B-SS-(.357/4HR) 23. Emerson Riddle-Dixie-C-(.630/27RBI) 24. Ariana Evans-Sumter-CF-2024-All-State 25. Addison Price-Dixie-SS-(.448/24 RBI) 26. Hannah Lambrecht-Orangeburg Prep – C 27. Garner Lanford-AC Flora-P/OF-(.463) 28. Hanah Lambrecht-Orangeburg Prep-INF-(.619/14RBI) 29. MaKenzie McElrath-Dixie-P –(All-State) 30. Maliyah Campbell-Woodmont-RHP (10-4) 31. Kylie Wilson-TL Hanna-Catcher 32. Dallas LaChance-Woodland-SS- 33. Saddie Parris-C-Boiling Springs HSSR 2026 Junior Class Best Of The Rest (No Certain Order) Maria Sialmas-Hillcrest-Catcher Kylee Hooker-Wagner-Salley-Pitcher Jadin Dandy-Travelers Rest-CF-All-State Elle Lockhard-Dreher-C (.469) Elena Mathys-Colleton Prep-P-(All-State) Hope Fowler-Greenville-Utility Kinley West-C-Byrnes Mackenzie Bradley-White Knoll-C- Kenzie McCoy-Loris-OF Mia Roseburg-Oceanside- P/SS Annie Storm-AC Flora-CF-(.372) Eryn Wright-Spring Valley-OF/SS-(2027) HSSR Class of 2027 Softball Prospects (Sophomores) 1. Aspen Boulware-Gray Collegiate-INF-(.651 / 40 RBI) 2. Kensley Vicars-Powdersville-INF- (.444 / 27 RBI) 3. Ayla Holmes-North Augusta-C-3B-1B-(.486 / 19 RBI) 4. Addy Waters-Byrnes-2B/SS-2 Yr. Starter 5. Emma Williams-TL Hanna- P-OF 6. Lillie Ivey-Sumter-P-(8-3,1,79ERA) 7. Maddie Loftis-TL Hanna-OF 8. Bailey Ardis-Sumter-C/OF- 9. Key-Lee Jennings-Union County-CF-(.382 / 15 RBI) 10. Summer Knight-Summerville-OF- 11. Taylor Wright-Holly Hill Academy- P (.531 / 20 RBI) 12. Madalyn Tigert-North Augusta 13. Laney Grubbs-Barnwell-P- 14. Mackenzie Melton-North Central-P 15. Kenleigh Epps-Whitmire-P 16. Riley Murphy-Indian Land-OF 17. Brynley Gaa-Legion Collegiate-P-1B 18. Brylie Harpe-Chesterfield-2B- 19. Addison Skipper-Marlboro County-SS-3B top 3 20. Azeleigh Arnette-Pee Dee Academy-2B- HSSR Class of 2028 Softball Prospects (Freshmen) includes Classes of 2029 -2030 (Note: If grade not noted they are 9 th ) 1. Addison Sharp-TL Hanna-RHP-246 K’s, 1.92 ERA 2. Maeven Morino-Summerville-2B-(.447/16RBI) 3. Kinsley Terrapin-Barnwell-SS/P-(.577) 7 th Grade 4. Maeven Moreno-Summerville-Utility- 5. Anna Grace Lee-Union County-RHP-17-3, 220 K’s 6. Tori Smith-Andrew-SS/P (.524) 7. Hanna Davis-TL Hanna-1B- 8. Addison Woodward-Fox Creek-Catcher 9. Garrison Aiken-Byrnes-SS/C/2B - 7th Grade 10. Wren Gaines-Byrnes-C- 8th Grade 11. Shalayah Badger-Barnwell-SS/P/C-(.500) 7th Grade 12. Mindy Veler-White Knoll-OF - 8 th Grade 13. Hanna Coburn-Lake View-2B-(.338/9 RBI) 14. Peyton Summers-Dixie-2B-(.486) 15. Stella Eichhorn-Ware Shoals-P-SS-(.619/16RBI) 16. McKenzi Pearson-Sumter-C-(arm) 17. Pressli Reynolds-AC Flora-P/SS-(.404,6-1) 18. Reece Yelton-Williston-Elko-OF 19. Addison Hasty-Pee Dee Academy-SS- 8th Grade 20. Cayden Crawford-May River-P-(51-K,5-1) 21. Bre Gerad-Colleton County-P/3B- 8th Grade 22. Gracyn Waiksnis-Indian Land-2B-(.395/9SB) 23. Kylie Powell-Powdersville-P-(R-R) 24. Calee Hartzog - Orangeburg Prep - 8th Grade (IF) 25. Josie Mitchum-Woodland-Util.-(.500)
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