Young Dillon Softball Team 8-2 Going Into Spring Break, Focused On Strong Finish, Baseball Team Vastly Improved Over last Season
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Dillon — It is truly a minor miracle that the Dillon softball team is (8-2, 3-2) after 10 games of the 2024 season, under fourth year head coach Stevie Grice, who also served as an assistant coach with the Lady Wildcats for five seasons, prior to becoming the head coach in 2021.
“We graduated our all-state catcher Logan Grice, who is now playing at PC,” said Coach Grice. “We had a key player transfer to Dillon Christian, and our number two pitcher decided not to play her senior year. We are very young and inexperienced at many positions.
“We have had to work our tails off this season and we are getting better with every game,” said Coach Grice. “Due to some important prior planned field trips, we were not able to participate in the Pee Dee Pitch-Off this season. The five games we usually play in the Pitch-Off would have provided our younger players a lot of experience.
“We did have two scrimmages with Class A champion Hannah-Pamplico, and a scrimmage with Chesterfield, who won the AA state title,” said Coach Grice. “This team has had to grow up in a hurry this season.”
Dillon has wins over the defending AA state champion Chesterfield (7-0), Lake View (7-0), Georgetown (13-8), Waccamaw (18-0), West Florence (1-0), North Myrtle Beach (10-2), and Hartsville (4-1). They lost to region foes Aynor (6-2) and Loris (3-1) on March, 26, before breaking for Spring break.
The good news for Dillon is the return of senior pitcher Paige Sherman, who has signed with Lander College, and junior shortstop Cierra Grice, who is a pledge to PC where her sister plays.
So far, in the 2024 season Sherman is 7-2 with an impressive 1.03 ERA. Sherman has 72 strike-outs in 61 innings of work. Sherman also bats clean-up and is currently batting .375 with 8 RBI’s, including three doubles and one triple.
“Paige is back for her senior season better then ever,” said Coach Grice. “She gives us a chance to win every time she is in the circle. She is a steady bat at the plate also.”
Grice could also play catcher, but she is needed more at shortstop after playing third base a lot earlier in her prep career. Grice bats lead-off and she is currently hitting .419 with 10 RBI’s including 8 doubles and two triples. She is 1-0 as the team’s back-up pitcher with 14 K’s in that win.
“Cierra is a solid glove at short and she is a great contact hitter with good speed,” said Coach Grice. “She has played a lot of travel softball also and her experience is a big-plus to share with our younger players on the team this season.”
The team’s top hitter thus far is sophomore third baseman Alyssa Lee, a returning starter from last season. Lee is hitting .423 with 8 RBI’s to date, including three doubles, a triple and one home run. “Alyssa Lee bats in the five hole and she is hitting very well and playing solid defense at third base,” said Coach Grice.
Junior McKayla Huggins has been moved from first to catching duties this season. Huggins is hitting .325 with a team leading 12 RBI’s“ that includes four doubles and two home runs. McKayla has some experience catching in summer ball so she was the right person to put behind the plate after Logan’s graduation,” said Coach Grice. “She has been a steady force both on offense and defense.”
A fifth returning player with experience is sophomore center fielder McKenna Meekins who went into Spring break batting .308 with seven RBI’s, including three doubles and one triple. “McKenna bats second and she has excellent speed on defense and she has already thrown out several runners from center field with her strong arm,” said Coach Grice.
The remaining starters for the Wildcats are first year starters, mostly up from the junior varsity. Second base is held down by 8th grader Cecelia Grider, a transfer from Dillon Christian. “She is getting better every day,” said Coach Grice.
Freshman Haiden Eller is a first-year starter at first base and she is improving with every game.
The right-field/left field positions have been platooned this season with numerous players. Sophomore Jiana McGill and freshman Ansley Villagomez have shared time in right. Returning junior Miriah Campbell and 7th grader Kanyla Tankersly are sharing time in left-field.
The remaining players on the team include four players who will be playing up and down this season. They include 8th grade catcher/first baseman Addison Villagomez, sophomore outfielder Kayla Christmas, 7th grade pinch runner Marsiah Bethea along with 8th grader Wanysia Hughes a utility player.
After Spring break Dillon will resume play with a non-region game against Marion on April, 10. The next day the Wildcats will play a region game at Georgetown and they host Waccamaw at April, 16. The team will close out the season with games against Aynor, Latta, Manning, and the Wildcats close out the regular season against Loris at home on April, 26.
“Our goals and expectations this season are just to improve as a team with every practice and every game,” said Coach Grice. “We play every game to win, don’t get me wrong. We are hoping for deep playoffs run and a good seeding for the play-offs.”
Coach Grice is 67-28 in his previous seasons as head coach
Dillon Baseball Team Vastly Improved Under Coach Coward
The Dillon baseball team (6-4, 3-2) begins their second season under the tutelage of former HSSR all-state player Keith Coward who graduated from Dillon in 2005, with fond memories of being a key member of the Wildcat team that played for a state title in 2004.
“This team has improved a lot over last season and it would be exciting to see all the hard work our players have put into the program be rewarded with a play-off berth at the end of the regular season,” said Coach Coward. “We were 4-13 last year but with seven starters back we felt like we would be much-improved this season.”
The lead-off batter is sophomore ace pitcher Hank Grider. Grider is 3-2 on the mound with 34 strike-outs in 26 innings of work. He has a 1.50 ERA and he has only walked four batters all season.
“In our 4-2 big win over Loris, Grider pitched a complete game, allowing only six hits with 8 strike-outs,” said Coach Coward. “We are really proud of his play on the mound this season.”
Junior center fielder Dan Graves patrols center field and he bats second in the order. Graves is leading the team on the hit index with a .455 average including three RBI’s and he has stolen 9 bases. Jamison Pittman is a junior catcher who bats third in the line-up. The clean-up batter is junior right fielder Ryan Carter who leads the team with 12 RBI’s and he also has six stolen bases.
Sophomore first baseman Jaden Williamson bats in the five slot and he has helped the team with one home run and two doubles this season. “Jaden has turned in a great defensive job at first base,” said Coach Coward. “He has bailed us out of a lot of tough spots this year and saved us some runs.”
Braden Miles is a senior utility player who can play multiple positions and he bats sixth in the line-up. Senior Nevin Branch, batting number seven in the line-up, is a designated hitter who also plays some third base. Eighth grader Bryson Davis starts at third base plays third base and he is the team’s number two pitcher. Davis is 3-1 on the mound with 15 innings of work and he has a 3.50 ERA. Rounding out the batting order is 8th grade starting second baseman JJ Campbell.
Key reserve players include senior Mason Jackson who plays in left field along with junior infielder Canaurey Reid. Bryan Smith is a senior reserve outfielder along with sophomore left fielder Zay Robertson, a strong football prospect at defensive back.
The team will be active over Spring break with games against Latta on April 1-2. On April, 9 Dillon will play Georgetown followed by games with Waccamaw, Carvers Bay, Loris and Wilson.
“Our goal right now is to compete, and be as competitive as we can be, and find a way to sneak into the play-offs at the end of the regular season,” said Coach Coward. “That accomplishment would be a just reward for the hard work this team has put in.”
Coach Coward is assisted by Austin Moody, Steven Reaves, and Coley Bohaehic.
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