Cobras seek strong finish to baseball season

Summerville – After a solid start to the 2024 season, the Cane Bay High Cobras opened region play and suffered a slump.

Cane Bay went 1-5 in their first two region 6-AAAAA series of the schedule, getting swept in three close games by Wando and losing two of three to Stratford. In the final game before spring break, the Cobras pulled out a 3-2 win over Stratford to gain some momentum for the stretch drive of the season.

The Cobras, 6-6 overall, will return after spring break with region series against Goose Creek and Berkeley and will secure a spot in the playoffs if they can take two of three against either opponent. Cane Bay participates in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament during spring break.

Head coach Shane Todd has a mixture of seniors and underclassmen providing much of the playing time this spring. The lineup routinely includes at least four senior starters while most of the heavy lifting on the mound comes from juniors.

The offense has struggled in region play to come up with the timely hits with runners in scoring position but the lineup does have potential to get hot.

Senior CJ Myers had a good start to his season as the designated hitter and leads the team in hitting. Myers also can be used at first base.

The middle infield tandem of shortstop Julius Minus and second baseman Connor Hirsch has been effective with Minus doing solid offensive work from the leadoff spot.

Anthony Alvarez is the lone senior in the outfield while senior Ryan Brewington works as a pitcher and catcher, sharing backstop duties with junior Drew Grimm.

The other two starting outfielder positions are shared by juniors Ethan Dodson, Jared Petty and Carson Newberry. All three left-handers see significant time on the mound as well, along with Brewington and Grimm. Senior lefty David Barajas also has worked on the bump.

Junior Devon Hogue provides good power in the lineup while playing first base. Grimm has played a lot at third base.

Working off the bench in various roles are juniors Drake Nichols, Chandler Berry, Noah Oswald, Braylen Waters, and Landon Velez.

Todd feels the emergence of Brewington as a pitcher and a healthy Dodson can be a big boost on the mound down the stretch. Brewington has worked mostly in relief but will get a start during spring break. Dodson returned to the mound after a few weeks off and pitched very well in the win over Stratford.

Cane Bay’s junior varsity team has won seven of their first nine games while the b-team is off to an 8-2 start.