W.W. KING BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR SPRING SPORTS

By: Gerald Doolittle

Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. – The 2024 Baseball and Softball seasons at W.W. King will be a season of foundation building for both sports that will also have new head coaches leading the rebuild.



The Knights varsity baseball rebuild will be led by new head coach Brian Kneece who replaces long time head coach Zach Matthews.  However, Matthews will still be around joining Matt Buzhardt and Michael Kinard as assistant coaches.

Coach Kneece has eighteen on his roster to start the rebuild with.  The three seniors are Jesse Parrish, Jonas Amick and Layton Carmean. The five juniors are Connor Shealy, Colton Buzhardt, Noah Ott, Andrew List and Tyler Ramirez.

The five sophomores are Smith Kirby, Zed Watkins, Dallas Hill, Wyatt Burbank and John Lederhaus.  The five freshmen are Elijah Hutto, Colton Black, Landell Anderson, Casen Buzhardt and Ty Doolittle.

The Knight baseball program has a very athletic group at the middle school level to build the future varsity on.  This group went undefeated in football and only lost two games in basketball.

Coach Scott Buzhardt middle school team will be led by 8th graders Bubba Buzhardt, Joseph Morse, Greyson Rikard, Colby Buzhardt, Kai Hoover and Joshua Oswald.

The 7th graders are Isaiah Doolittle, Miles Atkins, Tucker McGinty, Jackson Hutto, Drayton Wannamaker and Brady Goff.  Rounding out the middle school roster is 6th graders Berton Aull, Aidan McGee, Amz Dowling, Nichols Ott, Walker Buzhardt and Luke Holmes

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W.W. King will not field a varsity softball team this season.  Instead, Coach Doug Massey will start the softball rebuild with a JV team. 

Coach Massey’s roster will be Kenzie Morse (so), Chloe Frye (9th), Olivia Miller (8th), Grace Black (8th), Alivia Anderson (7th), Harper Watkins (7th), Caroline Pickens (7th), Emily Bergeron (6th), Blythe Buzhardt (6th), Emma Enlow (6th), Lilly Claire Matthews (6th), Aiden Amick (6th), Shayla Bedenbaugh (6th) and Brianna Hartley (6th).

Coach Massey is being assisted by Allen Guy and Kathy Gibson.