Colleton County baseball hopes for postseason opportunity

Walterboro – As a former player in the program, Jermale Paige has a little extra motivation to see his Colleton County baseball team compete at a high level.

The Cougars may not win every game but Paige feels his 2024 team does come to compete against a tough region 7-AAAA schedule. Entering spring break, the Cougars were 3-5 overall and 1-5 in region play. That includes two losses to James Island and two to Lucy Beckham, along with a split of two games with Hilton Head. The Cougars also have a win over Barnwell, a quality team in Class AA.

“We have shown the ability to compete but depth, especially on the mound, catches up to us,” Paige said. “We played James Island, one of the top teams in AAAA, to a 2-0 game. We lost 6-4 in one game against Lucy Beckham. I feel like these guys come to play. We battle as hard as we can.”

Paige feels like his team can manage a AAAA playoff berth with a good finish to region play after spring break. The Cougars have region series coming up with May River and Bluffton.

The Cougars have two quality starting pitchers who compete well in every opportunity. Senior Bruce Carpenter tossed a complete game in the 2-0 loss to James Island. Fellow senior Daveon Varner is a returning all-region performer as a pitcher and shortstop.

Senior Cameron Farnsworth returns as an all-region selection at first base and provides a lot of the power in the middle of the batting order. Senior Devin Miller plays second base and is proving to be a strong team leader and solid leadoff hitter.

Working at third base is senior Desmond Brown, who is having a solid season offensively, according to Paige. Senior Jamari Manigo is playing centerfield and hits in the cleanup spot.

Basketball star Brian Hamilton is starting in right field and brings great athleticism to the defense. He is committed to play basketball at Columbia International University.

Junior Xavier Oxner is the starting leftfielder. Handling the catching duties is Brinton Tirei, a sophomore that Paige feels can be among the top defenders behind the plate in the region.

“We don’t concern ourselves too much with our record because we play some tough teams,” Paige said. “I just want the guys to put in the work and try to compete. When we play to our potential we have shown we can compete.”

The Colleton County softball team also looks to compete for a spot in the playoffs this season. The Cougars finished 25-4 a year ago but graduated several key performers. Colleton County is off to a 5-4 start this spring.

Among the key returners from last season are Bailey Cox and Lanasia Sanders, both pitchers and infielders who hit over .400 last spring.

Maggie Kennedy, Alexa Eversole and Briana Ohmer also were key players last season and return this spring.