Fox Creek boys, girls basketball teams both under new leadership

By David Shelton Senior Writer Ridgeland – Get your licks in now because beating up on the Thomas Heyward Academy softball team will get increasingly harder over the next few seasons.  Coach Jeb Fay has a very young, but talented, team on the rise. Playing a tougher varsity schedule this season may limit the number of wins but Fay feels the building blocks are coming together. The Thomas Heyward program has a strong history, competing for state championships during a good run more than a decade ago. Interest faltered in recent years and the school dropped the program. Fay, a longtime successful travel ball coach, took on restarting the program last season. With a group of very young players, the Rebels played a mixed schedule of varsity and junior varsity teams and had some success. This spring, the team is playing a full varsity schedule and the early showing in terms of success has been limited. “We’re taking some lumps right now,” Fay said. “We are still fairly young overall and playing a tougher schedule has been tough. We have a group of competitive players but we also have a group that’s new to the game. That happens at a small school. We’re just focused on trying to learn and improve every day. The potential to be competitive is there for sure.” Fay says a handful of players are active year-round with travel ball but even those players are young and developing. Of the 11 girls on the roster, there are two juniors. The rest are jayvee aged players. The two juniors on the team are Olivia Meador and Abigail Hansen . Meador sees time as a pitcher and plays shortstop while Hansen is an outfielder. Meador shares the pitching load with sophomore Caleigh Sottile . Behind the plate is eighth-grader Kayley Fay , one of the veteran summer ball players. Freshman Sophia Arzillo is playing first base, joined on the right side of the diamond by freshman Ella Hampton . Hampton has been injured early on so freshman Lilly Gantt , normally an outfielder, is filling in at second. Freshman EK Brown is the starter at third base. Other outfielders include Ruthie Garces, Destiny White and Audrey Eastman. Fay says the team scored a lot of runs last season but the offense has struggled early on against tougher pitching. “I feel like we can hit in some spots but we just need experience,” the coach said. “We have work to do defensively. We have a few in the outfield who struggle with fly balls and that’s not good. But we continue to work on it.” Thomas Heyward also started a middle school program with another crop of solid players moving up in the future.

Ceasar, Carter, Conyers All-Region 7-AA basketball selections

By David Shelton Senior Writer Walterboro – As a former player and graduate of Colleton County High, Jermale Paige is very committed to building a successful baseball program as head coach. Paige is in his ninth season as the head coach and has been able to make his teams competitive overall. The wins and losses (24-53 in last four years), do not tell the entire story. The Cougars have lost a bevy of close games and opposing teams have to show up and play to earn their victories. The last winning season for the program came in 2019 when the Cougars won 12 games. Paige is hopeful that his 2025 team can win more than they lose. The early season has looked promising as Colleton County posted early wins over Woodland and Hampton County, a loss to Berkeley, and ties in tournament play against Goose Creek and Andrews. “Honest expectations are to compete every day, while striving for a playoff spot,” Paige says. “I would like for those guys on my team who aspire to go to college to get the exposure that is needed. We have good senior leadership and more internal drive from our players.” The biggest senior leader, Da’Veon Varner , is also the team’s best player. He is now three-year starter and has batted .350 combined in the last two years. He also is a quality arm on the mound. “He plays the game at a high level,” Paige said. “He is hungry to go to the next level and I am looking forward to him showcasing his talents this spring, while always placing the team first.” Another third-year starter is centerfielder Xavier Oxner , who also is expected to work as the closer on the mound.  Junior catcher Brinton Jerel is back for his third season as a starter. “He has physically grown and is more mature this year. He will command our staff and the defense overall.” Varner and Oxner will hit one-two in the batting order this spring. Sophomore leftfielder Michael Witkin will hit third while sophomore third baseman Galil Frazier hits cleanup. Senior RJ Adams is slated for rightfield and senior Alejandro Marin will play first base. After Jurel, the batting order ends with freshman shortstop Conner Desassure and junior second baseman Kyle Linder . Paige expects Varner, Witkin and Adams to be the top three arms on the mound, with Oxner and Marin filling in their roles. Colleton County will face quality opposition every night of the region 7-AAAA schedule. Perennial state title contender and multiple state champion Bishop England is new to the region. May River and Beaufort also rate as strong contenders. “Every team in our region is going to be able to compete,” Paige predicts.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Manning —Two of the better teams in SCISA baseball, for the 2025 season, Laurence Manning (10-1) and Orangeburg Prep (11-2) faced each other in a non-region game on March, 27 th and the Swampcats took advantage of five errors to claim a 8-2 win. Both teams will be in action 24 hours later. LMA travels to play at Hilton Head Chrisitan while O-P will host Colleton Prep . After the game, veteran LMA head coach Tom Hatfield shared his thoughts with the HSSR, “We are starting to get some kids back who have been dealing with injuries, our pitching staff is solid and out hitting coach Rodney Mooneyham works every day with our hitters and he does a good job. “We just need to be more consistent and I thought we took too many fastballs tonight,” said Coach Hatfield. “Orangeburg Prep is a fine ball club and they came into the game tonight at 10-1. We like challenges in mid-week games. “We used three pitchers tonight, and had them all on pitch counts so we can use them, if needed against Hilton Head Christian tomorrow,” said Coach Hatfield. “I thought they all performed well tonight. “The potential of this team, with the depth we have in our pitching staff, I feel like we can make a serious run in the play-offs,” said Coach Hatfield. “One of our main pitchers ( Braydon Barnhill ) is not back yet but we expect to have him back soon and he was one of our main pitchers last year. I think we can make a run at it (state championship) if we can keep everybody healthy.” Orangeburg Prep head coach Tate Jameson also talked with the HSSR after the game. “We have a packed schedule this season (26 games) and I always like to play more then we practice,” said Coach Jameson. “We have a group of veteran guys whop just love to come to the ball park and play baseball and that is what we are about.” Coach Jameson was complimentary of pitcher Hunter Judy going all seven innings for the Indians giving up 8 hits with five strike-outs and no walks. “We could have brought someone in later in the game but I wanted to give Hunter the peace of mind that I was not giving up on him. I just wish we could have hit better behind him and scratched out a run or two every inning but it didn’t happen. “We talked about not letting errors get the best of you before the game,” said Coach Jameson. “Unfortunately, errors early in the game hurt our chances for a win tonight.” The Indians have seven senior starters, including one junior ( T Riley ) and one 9 th grader ( Landon Kuck ) along with Charlie McCutchen who pitches and catches for us. Bryon Williams is a pitcher, catcher, middle infielder, Judy is a pitcher, catcher, middle infielder, and Riley is in center with Tadd Jameson in left, and Mo Burroughs is at first, and Eli Pantaleon is at short and pitches also. Kuck is our third baseman. “Tonight was a half-way night because we have now played 13 games with 13 more to go in the regular season,” said Coach Jameson. “Hopefully, we can bounce back from this game. Coach Hatfield has an excellent squad and I am glad we were able to compete against them, even though we did not quite measure up to them. I hope we learn something from this game and move on.”  LMA was led at the plate against O-P by Brenston Rembert who had two hits, three RBI’s, including a triple. Starting pitcher Ray Weston had two hits and two RBI’s while working 3.2 innings on the mound. First baseman DJ Balls had one hit and one RBI, Center fielder ZY Dennis had one hit and one RBI and catcher Cade Mooneyham had one hit in the win . The other two LMA pitchers in this game were Seth Witherspoon and Grayson Thornton who had four K’s in two innings of work. Other LMA starters against O-P included shortstop Grainger Powell , second baseman Payton Brown , right fielder Rory Carter , and left fielder Pierson Gamble . O-P was led on offense by Mason Tyler who had two hits, one RBI and two stolen bases. Riley, a gold glove center fielder who has 9 major college football offers to date, contributed one hit, while Jameson had a hit and one RBI. McCutchen, who hopes to play baseball at The Citadel , had one hit, while Williams also had one hit.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Beaufort – With good pitching and an experienced roster returning, the Beaufort High baseball Eagles have high expectations this season. Coach Adam Mullen , in his third season as head coach but with 10 years coaching in the program, says the expectations are to win the region 7-AAAA title and contend for the AAAA state championship. He realizes how competitive region seven is and it has been made tougher with the addition of Bishop England, a program with multiple state titles. “Very tough region this year,” the coach reports. “Bishop England and May River will definitely be tough this year for the region. Both teams are very well coached and have great pitching staffs. Both teams are always in the hunt every year.” Mullen is anxious to see his team compete and loves the leadership of his strong senior class. “They have been deep in the Lower State playoffs the last three years so they know how to compete,” he said. “Our pitching depth should be a strength.” One of the top leaders is senior catcher Hudson Mullen , who coach Mullen feels is among the best catchers, as well as pitchers, in the state this spring. Senior Gunner Hollingsworth will be one of the consistent arms on the mound and can fill a variety of defensive positions. He is slated to start at third base. Senior Will Herron plays second base and should be on the leading hitters. Mullen says he also has become a more vocal leader this spring. Senior Reece Mullen has developed well over the years and will work in leftfield and on the mound. He also is a big team leader. Senior Carter Womack will be a key arm on the mound and will be a designated hitter. Mullen calls Womack “very competitive who hates to lose.” Senior Dylan Rast is the shortstop who also will pitch. He is one of the best base runners with good speed. Another senior starter will be outfielder Samari Bonds . Junior Jayden Davis will be among the top pitchers. Junior Sellers Lynn is working at first base and junior Tanner Altman patrols centerfield. Mullen feels his top four pitchers will likely be Hudson Mullen, Hollingsworth, Womack and Rast but stresses the overall depth in arms as a strength. Mullen is assisted by pitching coach Scott Mullen and Al Wallace .

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 7 th graders,” said Coach Beasley. “I currently have three 7 th graders on the varsity and two of them are starters. “For the past three seasons this 7 th 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 7 th 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 7 th 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 7 th 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 7 th 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 7 th 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 G. Baker Publisher Gaffney —Early into the 2025 softball season, Gaffney head softball coach Maddie Pruitt is not pleased with the Lady Indians starting out 0-2, but the team has showed steady improvement with an impressive showing in the Tyger River tournament held March, 14-15. “We finished 4-1 in the Tyger River tournament, winning our bracket against some good teams,” said Coach Pruitt. (One of those wins was a 4-3 thriller over Seneca .) “The high school season is a long season, and as a team we have to continue to focus on things we can control in this game,” said Coach Pruitt. “Our team showed growth at the tournament, over the weekend, and I am excited to see how it transfers to the rest of our season. “On March 1 st , we went 1-2 in a pre-season tournament,” said Coach Pruitt. “Following that we opened up region play ( Boiling Springs & Spartanburg ) dropping these two games making us 0-2 in the region right now. I feel like we have a more talented team this season, only graduating two players from last season. Right now, we are struggling to play a clean defensive game.” Gaffney began the season on Feb., 25 with an 8-5 win over Palmetto . Against the Mustangs sophomore pitcher/infielder Ashley Caraway , senior infielder Dacey Phillips , and 8 th grade catcher/infielder Maysen Byars each had two hits. Caraway and Phillips also contributed two RBI’s along with junior catcher/infielder Brooke Smith .  Ashley Caraway was the winning pitcher in the circle against Palmetto scattering six hits while striking out six batters. She currently has a 2.33 ERA. Smith, junior infielder Korbyn Lydia , committed to USC - Upstate , and junior pitcher Kourtney Caraway are three returning all-region players from 2-AAAAA. Smith has contributed two RBI’s to the team early on. Lydia is batting .308 with five RBI’s and two stolen bases and was late joining the team to her all-region play with the Gaffney girls’ basketball team this season. The top hitters to date are Ashley Caraway at .500 including four RBI’s, two doubles, and a .571 on base percentage. Mia Calhoun is an 8 th grade out-fielder batting .500 with four RBI’s, two doubles and a .667 on base percentage. Maysen Byars is hitting .385 with four RBI’s and the team’s only triple. Molly Byars is batting .375 with four RBI’s. Junior outfielder Maddy Burgess is batting .455 with four RBI’s, with a team leading two home runs, and a .500 on base percentage. Phillips is batting .333 and she is committed to play softball at North Greenville College . Kourtney Caraway is at .273 and senior outfielder Brookly Jennings is batting .250. Other members of the team include freshman pitcher/infielder Malorie Wood, along with 8 th grade pitcher/second baseman Allie Parker . The softball team has 8 more games scheduled for the month of March. The Indians are at Greenwood on the 18 th , host Eastside the next day and paly at Byrnes on March, 21 st . On the 24 th they host Dorman , play at Riverside the next day and conclude their March schedule at Greenville on the 28 th .

By David Shelton Senior Writer Charleston – There’s a lot to be said for team chemistry when it comes to winning on the playing field and the Ashley Hall soccer team seems to have plenty of chemistry this spring. Former assistants Kelly Rogers and Allison Andrews have taken over the direction of the program as co-head coaches. Rogers is in her sixth season as coach while Andrews has five years of experience. They are attacking this season with enthusiasm and like the way the team is working to prepare for the season. “Our focus this year is to get better every day we step out on the field. Whether it's practice or a game, our goal is to find a way to find success -- in every way we can,” Rogers says. “That way, by the time playoffs come around, we are in top shape to compete. “We have a strong core group returning this year with a focus on building up play through the midfield. Our team is tight knit and versatile -- with a lot of athletic players who can help us find success from different areas of the field.” Rogers feels the entire roster is capable of contributing to success. But, every team has a core group of leaders that set the tone for the rest of the team. Rogers feels the 2025 Panthers have solid leadership. “Our leaders come in many forms: some show by doing and some show with mentality,” she explains. “Seniors Kate Farr and Dia Timko are the leaders who embody our team's values -- they show up every day with the mentality that they are going to get better and help the team do so along the way. “ Kate Coker and Gates McCants (both seniors) reliably put the energy in this team. I know when they step on the field they are playing their hearts out and that shows through how they hold themselves. “The core players that we always find ourselves relying on are freshman Lynden Taylor and junior Catherine Clark. When these two girls have the ball, there is a sense of calm with the rest of the team. They will defend until they win the ball and distribute out to their teammates consistently to get us out of trouble.” All of the above mentioned players work in the starting lineup. Other starters include senior Iris Stiegman , sophomore Molly Mettler , senior Caroline Rivers , junior Britton Zollweg , freshmen Bea Anderson and Bryn Wildstein , and sophomore Kamya Howard . Rounding out the roster this spring are Bailey Burke, Emily Kaye, Evie Cowan and Gemma Williams. “ This year our sights are set on a successful season to place into the state tournament,” Rogers says. “With two additional teams in our region, but the same amount of spots available, the competition will be higher but we are ready to hold our ground as one of the top schools in our region.”

By David Shelton Senior Writer Chesterfield – With memories of winning the AA state title two seasons ago, the Chesterfield High softball team is looking to make another run at the top prize this spring. The Rams advanced to the district finals of the AA playoffs last year and return a host of players that are ready to make a statement. Chesterfield will be battle-tested all season from a very competitive region 4-AA schedule that includes North Central and Buford, two of the four Lower State finalists last season. Graham Harpe is beginning his second season as the head coach. Harpe likes his team’s overall potential. “We should be very competitive with any team on the schedule,” Harpe said. “We have a lot of pieces back and several have more than a year of experience. If we play to our potential and get everyone going at the same time, we have a chance. It won’t be easy in our region but it never is. We won the state title two years ago and didn’t win the region. The tough region prepares all of the teams for the playoffs.” The Rams are 1-1-1 to start the season, owning a win and a tie against Dillon while losing to Catawba Ridge.  “Little sluggish and sloppy at times but I feel good about what we can be,” Harpe said. “I think this team will hit pretty well and score runs. We scored 14 against Dillon so that’s a good sign.” The top returning player is senior shortstop Kayleigh Eubanks , a returning all-state performer and a fourth-year starter. Eubanks is joined on the left side of the infield by Kai Pace, a senior third baseman, one of the top hitters in the batting order. Taking on duties at second base is sophomore Baylie Harpe , a returning starter as well. Senior K endall Brock returns as the starting first baseman while sophomore Jamison Miles returns behind the plate. “Defensively we should be pretty solid on the infield,” Harpe said. Freshman Trinity Traxler is the team’s No. 1 pitcher but has help. Expected to see time inside the circle are eighth-graders Ashton Cassidy and Sydney Sowell . Sowell also starts in centerfield. “I feel good about all three. Pitching is solid for us,” Harpe said. Seniors Marah Brock, Michaela Lisenby , and Arianna Vanderpool are seeing most of the action in the outfield. Vanderpool is one of the top hitters and has pitched some in the past. Rounding out the roster are Jenna Stafford, Jordan Evans, Justyce Sellers, and Harley Hatcher.