Hawkettes aiming for ninth straight region crown

By Rob Gantt

Special to the HSSR

HANAHAN - Hanahan High School shows up at the softball diamond every night with a squad comprised mostly of underclassmen and eighth graders this spring. The opportunity is there for the Hawkettes to prove tradition never graduates on Murray Drive.

They have captured region crowns eight straight seasons and will clearly be in that conversation again.

“We’re really young,” Hanahan coach Katrina Moffett said. “We have a lot of returners, but they’re not in the same position they played last year. We lost three starters who were seniors, and some juniors decided not to play. We have an almost brand new lineup out here.”

Moffett’s bunch is deepest inside the circle, with four experienced hurlers seeing action there this spring: senior Ashlyn Harrison, junior Gabby Colantuoni and sophomores Isabel Hildebrandt and Briar Mros. Colantuoni and Harrison logged the most innings in 2023 and finished with sub-2.00 earned-run averages.

Moffett is counting on the group to become more consistent and get better ball movement as the season progresses.

“We’ve got to find that competitiveness and put it all together,” Moffett said.

Among the players returning are all-region selections Alex Stuckey and Mros. Stuckey, a senior batting in the three-hole, has moved from first base to catcher, and Mros is a sophomore center fielder. Both players batted over .400 in 2023, and Stuckey led the squad in RBIs.

Harrison and junior Camdyn Lawson man the right side of the infield at first base and second base. Eighth-grader Jamie O’Connor also sees time at first base.

Freshman Camryn Fowler and Hildebrandt are on the left side of the dirt at shortstop and third base. If Hildebrandt pitches, Lawson shifts to the hot corner.

Senior left fielder Sam Hannah and sophomore right fielders Aubrey Cribb and Siena Combs will join Mros on the grass.

More team members are eighth-graders Dria Tolbert, Maci Brown and Maggy Priddy.

“We have some kids who can swing it well,” Moffett said. “It’s a matter of coming through in big situations. The other night, the bases were loaded against West Ashley, but nobody was out, and we didn’t score. We’ve got to come through in the clutch.”

The Hawkettes coasted past visiting North Charleston in their Region 8-3A openers Tuesday, March 19. They improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the league, with 16-0 and 15-0 victories in two and a half innings. They also have a 5-1 win over West Ashley and losses to Summerville, 12-2, and Cane Bay, 10-7.

Hanahan continued its region slate March 26 with a 9-2 win at Battery Creek.

Stuckey had two hits and two RBIs and Hildebrandt fanned 10 batters over seven innings inside the circle. Neither Battery Creek run was earned.

Hannah chipped in two hits for the Hawkettes.