East Clarendon baseball playing difficult non-region schedule to prep for playoffs

           Turbeville – The East Clarendon High School baseball team is off to a 4-0 start in Region 5-Class A. The Wolverines are just 11-5 overall, but there is a good reason for that.

            They have played a murderer’s row of a non-region schedule, facing the likes of AAAAA schools White Knoll, Carolina Forest and Sumter with two games against Socastee left on the schedule, AAAA Irmo and West Florence and AAA Camden and Manning.

           “I just wanted our guys to face better arms,” first-year EC head coach Curtis Johnson said of the difficult schedule. “For where we want to try and end up at (winning a state title), we're going to have to beat guys who throw 85, 86, 87 (miles per hour). We're going to have to beat those guys, so i want our guys to see better arms, to know what it's like when we get in those situations so it doesn't sneak up on them.”

          That has led to some offensive struggles for EC, which had a .249 average as a team through 16 games. Catcher KJ Floyd had not been affected though. He owned a .524 batting average.

         Shortstop Michael Morris and rightfielder Walker Partee were both hitting .333, while first baseman Hunter Mixon owned a .229 average but a team high nine runs batted in.

        Graham Newsome was hitting .273 with eight RBI, third baseman Cullen McKenzie was at .242, centerfielder Whit Nesbitt was hitting .167 leftfielder Dawson Beard was hitting .214, Cooper Goff .238 and second baseman Foster Matthews .154.

       While the average might be low, East Clarendon had an on-base percentage of .396. Nesbitt, the leadoff hitter, has an OBP of .375, doubling his batting average.

       The pitching has been outstanding, led by right-hander Caleb Coker. He had a 5-1 win-loss record with a 1.95 earned run average in 32 1/3 innings.

       Blease Hardy was 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 23 2.3 innings, while McKenzie was 1-1 with a 0.98 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.

       Matthews had worked nine innings, Morris 5 1/3 and Newsome five.

       “We're very deep with guys on the mound who can get up there and throw strikes,” Johnson said. “That's our goal, to get up there and throw strikes and play defense and give us a chance to win.”

      Johnson is hoping to get Ja’Shawn Montgomery healthy and back on the mound down the stretch. He has yet to pitch this year after going 3-2 with a 1.40 ERA in a team high 35 innings last year.

      “He's had arm stuff going on so we hope he'll be back soon,” Johnson said. “We look for him to be back and add to our depth.”

      The All-State selection has batted some this season but has been shut down as of late He batted .265 last year with two doubles, three triples and two home runs.

      EC SOFTBALL OFF TO GOOD START

     The East Clarendon softball team was off to a 7-5 overall start and a 3-1 region start in its first year under head coach Jason Newsome.

     “We've had some really good games where we performed well,” Newsome said. “I think they’ve done pretty well with me being a new coach with a new system. We're younger with a lot of ninth-graders and an eighth-grader. That’s led to us being inconsistent, especially offensively. We’re looking to a make a good run down the stretch and get good results.

     Junior Laiklyn Gaskins is back as the pitcher and has had a strong season.

     “Gaskins has pitched really well,” Newsome said. “She is 4-3 and has lost three 1-run games.”

     Sophomore Addison Fleming and freshman Layke Jeffords are also seeing some time in the circle.

           The rest of the roster includes, seniors Hayden White, Ashlyn Gaskins, Eden Huth and Whitney McElveen, juniors Ann Grace Knowlton and Alyssa Driggers, sophomore Megan Brown, freshmen Payton Hanniford, Karleigh Miller and Caylen McKenzie and eighth-grader Bailey Hicks.