Dorman volleyball coach Paula Kirkland named to National Hall of Fame

            Roebuck -- With 15 volleyball state championship trophies brought to the Dorman High School trophy case under her tutelage, the state of South Carolina already knew just how special of a coach Paula Kirkland is.

Now the rest of the country will be made aware of it.

           Kirkland has been selected for the National High School Hall of Fame by the Federation of State High School Associations. 

Kirkland will be inducted on July 1 at the NFHS summer meetings in Boston.

           “I was shocked when I learned of my selection and I had no idea I was even on the ballot,” Kirkland said in a release from the South Carolina High School League. “I had to read the email twice and then I got a phone call from the NFHS.”

          Kirkland, a graduate of Dorman, has been the volleyball coach since 1980. She has a career record 1,088-173-3. She ranks second in the state in career victories and is 11^th nationally.

          Kirkland’s most recent championship team came this past fall as the Cavaliers captured the AAAAA crown. She has led Dorman to the state championship match 18 times and has won 32 region titles along the way.

Kirkland is also a member of the South Carolina Coaches Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2004.

           Kirkland also coached the Dorman girls basketball team for eight years in the 1990s. She wasn’t too bad at that either, posting a 122-68 record and making one trip to the upper state championship game.

DORMAN BASEBALL OFF TO SLOW REGION START

           The Dorman baseball team had a run of four consecutive region titles snapped last year. It went 14-14 and finished third in Region 2-AAAAA.

           The Cavaliers are trying to get back on track this season, but were off to a slow start. They won only seven of their first 13 games and were just 1-4 in region play.

           “We expect to compete for a region title, so we’re below expectations at this point,: said head coach Jack Jolly, who led DHS to a state title in 2018.

           DHS returns six starters from last season, including the top four in the batting order. They are left-handed hitting sophomore second baseman/third baseman Palmer Hornick, senior leftfielder/2B Clay Crossley, junior shortstop Colton Earnhardt and senior catcher Mitch Wilson, a University of North Carolina signee.

          Batting in the fifth spot is junior designated hitter Coleman Brown followed by senior rightfielder Noah McGarity. Senior Campbell Whitener is back at third and batting seventh. Senior first baseman Aaron Sturgill returns and is in the 8 hole with senior centerfielder Jackson Pruitt ninth.

Also seeing time are senior Wyatt Lunsford in left and junior Jackson Wyatt at first.

           Dorman has eight players back who pitched last year. They are senior Bray Parton, the left-handed Waytt, Brown, freshman lefty Connor Wells, senior Alex Peake, Whitener, Sturgill and Hornick. Two newcomers to the staff are sophomore Logan McGarity and junior Cross Jenkinson.

          Noah McGarity has signed with Lander, Lunsford with University of South Carolina Sumter and Parton and senior catcher Walker Jackson both with USC Beaufort.