Central baseball team has some experience, some youth

           Pageland – The Central High School baseball team has five returning starters from last year’s squad that had a 7-15 overall record and a 3-9 mark in Region 5-AA. What the Eagles don’t have are their top two pitchers from a year ago in Daniel Leaird and Drake Wilson.

           Still, Central has a mix of experience and youth in the starting lineup. There are three seniors among the starting nine, but the only returning starter is Petey Blakeney at first base. The other seniors are Austin Middleton at shortstop and Jacob Tomberlin in right field.

           Two of the other returning starters are in the junior class. Tray Wilson is back and playing centerfield after starting in left last season. Cooper Catoe is serving mainly as a designated hitter in the batting order after splitting time with Blakeney at first base last season.

           The other two returning starters are sophomore Logan Olney at second base and freshman Cody Branham at catcher. Freshman Colton Threatt is starting in left field. Time at third base is being split between sophomore Lawson Hicks and sophomore Braden Price.

           Seeing time as pitchers for the Eagles are Hicks, senior Jaylen Fields, Price, junior Jackson Coleman, Catoe and Threatt.

           Others on the team re junior outfielder Keelan Miller, who was a starter at the beginning of last season, junior second baseman Caleb Blakeney, junior outfielder Crizden Freeman and junior first baseman Camden Threatt.

           Central has not made the state playoffs since the 2019 season. Region 5 is a 7-team region that also includes Buford, Cheraw, North Central, Andrew Jackson, Chesterfield and York Prep.

           Central’s final two 2-game region series are against Cheraw and Andrew Jackson. The Eagles travel to Cheraw on Tuesday, April 9, before playing host to the Braves on Friday, April 12. Andrew Jackson will come to Pageland on Tuesday, April 16, before the Eagles travel to Kershaw for a game on Friday, April 16.

           CENTRAL TRACK TEAMS START STRONG

           Central High School has competed in three track and field meets with Region 5 schools. The boys have won all three of those meets while the girls won two of three.

           Both teams had several first-place finishers. For the boys, Luis Lopez won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs in all three meets and the 3,200 in one of them. Daniel Moore won both the discus and the shotput twice, and Dontavis Covington won the triple jump twice and the long jump once, and Caden Edmond won the 400 dash twice.

           Winning once was Terry Johnson in the 200 dash, Martel Ruben in the 400 hurdles, Sean Davis in the triple jump, Kobe Davis in the javelin and Tobias Miller in the shot.

           The 4x800 relay team of Lusvin Cruz, Logan Zerr, Lopez and Kaiden Johnson had two wins, and the 4x400 team of Joshua Little, Sean Davis, Kaiden Johnson and Edmond had one.

           For the girls, Journey Hough won the 200 three times, the 100 dash twice and the 400 once. Gracen Tucker won the 800 twice and the 1,600 and the 3,200 once each. Mariah Howard won the 400 twice. Parris Maddox and Samel Mungo both won once in the 400 hurdles.

           The 4x1 relay team of Nalaysha Newman. Niageria Howard, Mariah Howard and Hough won three times as did the 4x4 team featuring the same girls. The 4x8 team of Mungo, Camarri McManus, Maddox and Tucker got one win.