Title contenders, playoff hopefuls emerge among Midlands high school baseball teams
Last season, Banks Faulkner had one of his most talented and deepest teams since becoming Blythewood High School’s baseball coach in 2016.
But like all spring sports sound South Carolina, the Bengals never got a chance to play for a title after COVID-19 canceled the season. A year later and with eight seniors gone from last season’s squad, Blythewood is looking like a title contender again.
The Bengals are ranked No. 3 in the latest S.C. Baseball Coaches Class 5A poll. They defeated No. 2 Lexington 16-4 on Wednesday in the first day of the S.C. Diamond Invitational.
“We talk all the time about our senior group from last year,” Faulkner said Wednesday. “I used it as motivation when the minute you start taking anything for granted to think about those eight seniors. That was a special group to me and they put a lot into that season and it was tough to see it not play out like we all wanted to see it.
“But this group has been fun. It is a young group. We started a sophomore and two freshmen and they sort of had to grow up. But it is a talented group.”
Blythewood has a 1-2 punch on the mound in Davis Wright and Kevin Steelman. Zac Cowan is the top arm out of the bullpen and one of the team’s leading hitters along with Ty Dooley.
Despite the loss, Lexington will be a factor in Class 5A Lower State. The Wildcats have a pitching staff that features Clemson commit Cal Herndon and South Carolina commit Reese Marcum. The team has four one-run wins among their nine victories.
“I think our guys needed to be humbled a little bit,” Hucks said Wednesday after the loss to Blythewood. “We have been fortunate to win some late-inning games. Baseball is a game that evens itself out. ... We will learn from it.”
Both Hucks and Faulkner said they are using the four games played this week in the S.C. Diamond Invitational to help get ready for the playoffs and to get some guys playing time to help them down the stretch.
The S.C. public school playoffs begin May 15 and will have a different format this year with only the top two teams in each region guaranteed to make the playoffs, as opposed to four in years past. The Upper and Lower state championships will be best-of-three series.
In addition to Blythewood and Lexington, here are other Midlands baseball teams to watch for in the second half of the season and the postseason:
Class 5A
Dutch Fork: Outside of a hiccup against Gray Collegiate on Wednesday, the Silver Foxes (12-1) have been one of the area’s most impressive teams this year. Major League Baseball scouts have flocked to see Clemson two-sport signee Will Taylor on a nightly basis. Taylor is ranked as 67th best prospect (high school or college) for the 2021 MLB Draft and said this week he has spoken to all 30 pro baseball clubs.
Dutch Fork also has South Carolina signee Evan Stone, and sophomore Kevin Samonsky has emerged as the team’s ace. The Silver Foxes play Lexington twice next week, which will likely help decide the Region 5-5A champion. The two teams also will meet one more time later in the season.
River Bluff: In a normal year, the Gators would be a contender. But after losing twice to both Lexington and Dutch Fork, they will almost need to win out and get some help. River Bluff has a nice resume with tournament championships in the NaturChem Invitational and Forest Acres Classic.
Class 4A
AC Flora: The Falcons were ranked No. 1 in Class 4A when the season shut down last year and have been atop of the class rankings so far in 2021.
A.C. Flora has three South Carolina commitments in juniors Jack Reynolds and Zander Buchan and sophomore Grant Loggins, one of the team’s top starting pitchers. The Falcons have a powerful offensive lineup and have scored more than 10 runs in seven of their 10 games this year.
Airport: The Eagles’ postseason hopes might come down to two games against South Aiken on April 12 and 15. If they finish third in Region 5-4A, they could be a candidate for an at-large bid in the Lower State.
Class 3A
Brookland-Cayce: This might be one of coach Rusty Charpia’s most talented squads since he’s been with the Bearcats. B-C has three Division I commitments in junior Skylar King (West Virginia) and sophomores Hayden Thomas (Arkansas) and Ty Marshall (Clemson). The Bearcats are ranked No. 2 in the S.C. Baseball Coaches Poll and No. 1 in the Diamond Prospects rankings.
B-C has scored 10 or more runs in eight of their 10 games, including 13 against 5A Dorman on Wednesday.
Gilbert: The Indians were off to a 5-0 start last year before the season ended. Gilbert is 11-5 this year with two wins over Class 5A River Bluff. The Indians’ bid for a region title will come when they face Brookland-Cayce on April 20 and 22.
Camden: The Bulldogs’ biggest challenge in Region 6-3A should come from Lake City. Camden will have a tough task in the 3A Lower State with the likes of B-C, Oceanside, Bishop England and Gilbert, among others.
Class 2A
Gray Collegiate: The War Eagles have the makings of a title contender and knocked off Dutch Fork on Wednesday in the Forest Acres Classic. They also defeated 5A Sumter earlier this year. Gray is ranked No. 2 in the latest Class 2A rankings and will be in a tough Upper State with the likes of Abbeville and Landrum.
Pelion: The Panthers have a pair of wins over Silver Bluff, and a chance for the Region 5-2 title will come when they face Edisto.
SCISA 3A
Hammond and Cardinal Newman: The Skyhawks and Cardinals are among the favorites to meet for the SCISA Class 3A championship. Both teams have played a tough non-region schedule against public schools. The two teams meet next week, including Thursday at Segra Park, with the games likely deciding the No. 1 seed for the SCISA 3A playoffs.
SCISA 2A
Northside Christian: The Crusaders will be one to watch in the SCISA 2A playoffs. Northside is 14-3 on the season and has wins over Orangeburg Prep and Lee Academy.
SCISA A
Richard Winn and WW King: The two schools will be the Midlands’ top chances in SCISA Class A and are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in Diamond Prospects’ rankings. They have split their two meetings this year with each game decided by one run.
