Lake View enjoying postseason success in baseball, softball

Lake View – If it’s May it must mean the baseball and softball teams at Lake View High are deep into the chase for the Class A state championship.

Both programs has won state titles recently. The baseball team won in 2022 and lost in the finals last season. The softball team won a state title in 2021.

Kip Herlong has guided the baseball program to eight state championships and more than 600 wins in his 30-year tenure as head coach. While he takes nothing for granted when it comes to teenagers and baseball, the coach said earlier this season that he liked the chemistry and leadership on his 2024 team.

“We have a good group this year. They have worked hard,” he said. “We have some kids who are in their fourth or fifth year in the program and they understand what it takes in terms of work and effort. This team has good senior leadership and those four or five guys want to go out in style.”

So far, so good. The Wild Gators have won 17 of 20 games, including their first two playoff games. They need a win on May 6 to advance to the final four Lower State bracket. Lake View is ranked second in Class A by the High School Sports Report.

Herlong said in the preseason that he felt pitching and defense could be the strength of this year’s team and the coach nailed it.

Anchoring the pitching staff are juniors Kason Herlong and Chris McGill. McGill is 6-1 with a 1.43 earned run average while Kason is 4-0 with a 1.46 earned run average. Luke Price has added four wins on the mound and Chase Price has a win as well.

Herlong (.556 batting average) and McGill (.480 average, 9 HR, 35 RBI) also rate as two of the leaders offensively. Luke Price is hitting .417 and sophomore second baseman Ian Capps is hitting .375 18 games. Senior outfielder DJ Hardee is hitting .409 and Braden Borders is hitting .323.

Should they advance to the Lower State bracket, Lake View will likely contend with East Clarendon, Green Sea Floyds and Johnsonville for the right to advance to the state finals.

Softball coach Brandy Huggins has had another solid campaign with a team that has won more than 13 games this season. The coach earned her 200^th career victory earlier this season.

While experienced overall, this year’s roster has only two seniors. Those two seniors are vitally important to the success of this year’s team.

Raven Locklear is Lake View’s top pitcher and shortstop Emma King is the top returning offensive threat. Both have been a part of the varsity program since they were seventh-graders.

Locklear is hitting .422 with two homers and 16 RBI through the regular season. Inside the pitching circle, Locklear has 11 wins with a 1.40 earned run average in more than 100 innings of work.

King has been one of the state’s top hitters this spring, boasting a .692 batting average with 22 runs scored, 23 RBI, eight triples and 17 stolen bases. King hit 11 triples and batted .559 last season.

Junior first baseman Hollie Scott is hitting .357 with 10 RBI and freshman Chloe Cox is hitting .368 and has scored 13 runs.

Kaleigh Blackmon is hitting .289 with 11 stolen bases and Hanna Coburn, an eighth-grade middle infielder, is hitting .325. Freshman outfielder Zy’Kiara Waters is hitting .346 with 11 stolen bases and 11 runs scored.