BLYTHEWOOD – Another year and another Blythewood Dixie Youth team will be representing the town in The Dixie Youth World Series. This time it will be The Machine Pitch All-Stars headed to Cleveland, Mississippi for the World Series from July 28 through Aug.1. This tops off their first ever state title in a close 5-3 contest against Lexington.
Last year, the Blythewood Dixie Youth Minor’s team not only won the district tournament, which was held in Blythewood, but claimed the State Championship and brought home a third-place finish in the Dixie Youth World Series.
The All-Stars dismantled the competition enroute to their World Series appearance. They began by routing Summerville, 11-1, and followed that victory with a dominant 9-2 win over Central.
The team solidified their streak of blowout wins by downing Delmar, 17-5, Gaffney, 12-0, and Bluttfon,15-6. The team will get their first taste of action on July 28 when they take on Alabama at 2:30 p.m., and their second game will be against Cleveland at 5:30 p.m.
Diamond Rush, the 2017 State Newspaper Female Track Athlete of The Year stands atop the podium after claiming one of her two golds in May
BLYTHEWOOD- Diamond Rush rushed her way to becoming a two-time state track and field champion, and for her efforts she has earned the title of The State newspaper’s Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year Honors. Rush locked down the State Title in the 100 and 200 and led the Westwood Girls to a fourth place overall finish in the 4A State Meet.
Rush plans on attending Charleston Southern to further her track and field career.
Rush’s brother and five time state-champion at River Bluff, D.J. Ledell made it a family affair when he was named the State Boy’s Track and Field Athlete of the year. He was also the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the year.
If that was not enough, Rush was named to the 2017 Midlands Girls Track and Field Team, along with her Westwood teammate Jasmine Brown. Brown claimed a State Title this year with a win in the long jump.
A pair of Lady Bengals were also named to the Midlands Track and Field Team. Keionna Ray, a bronze medal winning triple jumper and Junior Olympian Sharnae Alston made the cut for Blythewood.
Westwood senior Kaden Briggs earned a nod to the 2017 Midlands Boys Track and Field team, after a superb showing at the State Meet in May. Briggs notched three State Titles with wins in the 110-meter hurdles, the 400 hurdles and on the 4×100 relay team.
Joining Briggs were fellow Westwood Redhawks, Christian Horn and Trini Feggett. Blythewood also secured three nominations to the team with Kenny Benton, Josh Bowers and Robert Braswell.
Benton won the 100 at the State Meet, Braswell finished first in the high jump and Josh Bowers collected gold in the 800. Despite the standout performances, Blythewood finished fourth overall at State.
Andrew Beckwith on the mound against CWS foe Arizona.
BLYTHEWOOD- One of Blythewood’s native sons has been drafted to the majors. Andrew Beckwith, a former Blythewood High School Bengal and College World Series Most Outstanding Player for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, was drafted in the 32 round of Major League Baseball’s June 14 draft, by the Kansas City Royals.
Beckwith had a season for the history books during the 2016 Coastal Carolina Championship run. In 2016, he finished the season 15-1, which set a single season Coastal Carolina wins record and tied the Big South record, to go along with a 1.85 ERA.
He made three starts in the College World Series as a junior, and he was one of only 12 players in CWS history to win three games in Omaha. Two of his three starts were complete games, including a 98-pitch complete game against top-seeded Florida. He also held opposing teams to an 0.76 ERA.
During his senior year, Beckwith finished up 8-2, with an 8-0 record in conference play, a 4.34 ERA and led the Chanticleers to a regular season conference title. Off the diamond, Beckwith made the Big South Presidential Honor Roll in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and was named to the Dean’s List in 2015.
Beckwith has won numerous awards over his Coastal Carolina career including the Gregg Olson Award, Big South’s Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year, Big South Pitcher of the Year and was a HERO Sports All-American. He finished his college baseball career with the most ground outs in school history, fourth most appearances, fourth most wins, sixth most innings pitched and second fewest walks allowed per nine innings.
As a Bengal, Beckwith led the team to the 2013 4-A State Championship, but fell short to the Lexington Wildcats, and during his career he was named first-team All-State twice and set a school record with nine saves on his career. He also swam competitively and even won an Ultimate Frisbee State Championship.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Youth Baseball and Softball League has been selected to host Dixie Youth Baseball tournaments for a fourth consecutive year.
The Dixie Youth Minor’s All-Star Sub District Baseball Tournament will begin on June 15 and run through June 21 at Blythewood Park with seven teams competing.
The Dixie Youth Ozone All-Star District Baseball kicks on June 17 and will also finished up on June 21, with five teams participating.
Blythewood claimed the 2014 crown in The Coaches Pitch Sub-District Tournament, and in 2015 they earned the top spot in The Minor’s Sub-District Tournament. Blythewood hosted both of those events.
Last year, the Town hosted The Minor’s District Tournament, and continued their streak of home-field advantage with another win. That team pulled off a victory in the State Championship, and then made a third-place run in The Dixie Youth World Series.
The first game for Blythewood is at 8 p.m. on Friday against Dentsville.
he Westwood boys and their coaches celebrate after finishing second overall in Class 4A and behind only Hilton Head. Photo/ Ross Burton.
COLUMBIA – Westwood High School’s girls and boys clocked in at second overall in Class 4A at last weekend’s State Track and Field Meet. Westwood’s Kaden Briggs won state titles in the 110-meter high hurdles, the 400 hurdles and as a part of the Redhawks’ 4×100 relay team. They finished only behind Hilton Head in the overall standings.
“I didn’t go into the season thinking we were going to pull it off, but we did,” Briggs said. “It feels really good. It’s a blessing knowing how far we’ve come.”
Briggs won the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.70 seconds, and the 400 hurdles with a time of 54.03. Briggs’ 4×100 team finished with a time of 41.58, three tenths of a second faster than Lower Richland’s team.
Westwood boys coach Rod Lorick knew his team had it in them to finish strong.
“We had a good chance, it all just came down to the numbers,” he said. “I congratulate Hilton Head. They did a good job. Our boys did a stand-up job, I’m proud of them. We have a young team. We’re losing Kaden, and we’re going to miss him, but we’re young, we’re ready and we’re hungry.”
A fourth-place finish in the 4×400 relay and an eighth-place finish in the 4×800 boosted the Redhawks.
Diamond Rush claimed the gold in the 100 and 200 dashes, while Jasmine Brown took first in the long jump to propel the Westwood girls to a fourthplace finish behind Hilton Head, Daniel and South Pointe.
“In all honesty, you never know. You don’t want to underestimate your competition,” Rush said about projecting how her team would do going into the meet. “It was a blessing to finish this high, but I really didn’t know.”
Rush finished just ahead of Airport Sprinter Jayla Jamison in both the 100 and 200 dashes. Rush finished the 100 in 12.15 seconds and the 200 in 24.40.
In the long jump, Jasmine Brown won the gold with a jump of 18-02.
Blythewood’s Robert Braswell, Kenny Benton and Josh Bowers boosted the boy’s fourth-place finish in the 5A portion of the meet. Braswell took first in the High Jump with a 6-06 effort. Benton won the 100 dash with a time of 11.11 and Bowers took the 800 run with a time of 1:55.38.
Likewise, the Blythewood ladies also took a home a fourth place finish in the 5A portion of the meet. Sharnae Alston finished second in the 100 and followed it up with a third place in the 200.
Blythewood also notched a third place finish in the 4×800 and the 4×400, to go along with a fourth place result in the 4×100. Keionna Ray helped boost Blythewood into the top five overall with her third place performance in the triple jump.
The team of Kimoni Harris, Wesley Benbow, Ahquil Ross and Darian Glenn secured a third-place finish in the 4×100 relay for the Fairfield Central Griffins.
BLYTHEWOOD- Westwood’s head baseball coach, Jonathan Burroughs, has stepped down, after four seasons at the helm.
“It was an emotional and tough decision,” Burroughs said. “The bond built here over the past four years is very strong. Stepping away is hard, but I know I am doing the right thing for my family. The program is moving in the right direction and has a lot of talent returning. I am looking forward to following them next season.”
Burroughs took the reins for the Redhawks ahead of the 2013-2014 season, and he notched the first two-regional victories in school history. Last year three Westwood baseball players committed to play at the collegiate level; Before that no Westwood baseball player had received a scholarship to play college ball.
In 2017 Burroughs guided the Redhawks to the school’s first playoff berth, and for his work he earned Region Co-Coach of the Year. Burroughs will not seek other coaching opportunities, instead, he plans to stay in the Westwood community with his family and continue to further his education.
“My wife and I had many talks about the direction our family is going. We have a 14-month old daughter and we’re looking at possibly more,” Burroughs said. “Working towards my administration degree, all that factored in. I never ask the guys to go less than 100 percent and to always give max effort. I feel at this point in my life giving 100 percent to the program was going to be difficult for me, and the guys deserve better. All of these factors went into my decision.”
“I would like to thank all currently involved in the program, as well as those in past years for making the experience a memorable one. Once a Redhawk, always a Redhawk. #ringthebell”
Todd Mattox used the lumber and the pitching glove to secure the All-Star nod. Photo/GoFlashWin.
BLYTHEWOOD- Blythewood senior Todd Mattox has been named to the 2017 All-Star team by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association.
He finished the season with a .337 batting average, a .423 on base percentage, five doubles, 21 runs and15 stolen bases. Mattox pitched 25.1 innings with a 2.46 ERA and rung-up 35 batters.
“Very excited for Todd and he’s very deserving of this honor. Todd had an outstanding season leading our team in many offensive categories,” Blythewood head coach Banks Faulkner said. “He also pitched really well towards the end of the season. His makeup is off the charts and he plays the game the right way. It was a privilege to coach him his senior season.”
The 2017 SCBCA All-Star Weekend will be held May 23-24 in Myrtle Beach.
Blythewood, Fairfield Central and Westwood sent participants to each of their respective regional South Carolina High School League track qualifiers. The Bengals headed to Spring Valley for the 5-A qualifiers.
Sharae Alston finished in fourth n the 100M finals. Ashley Mitchell got a first place finish for Blythewood in the 400M, and finished fourth in the 800M.
Devin Cambell clocked in at third in the 400M Hurdles, and Marie Smith came in second in the 400M Hurdles. Keionna Ray placed fourth at the triple jump.
Westwood traveled to York for the 4-A Qualifier. The Redhawks dominated the 100M, with Diamond Rush finishing first and Jasmine Brown finishing second.
Rush took the top spot in the 200M. Christian Horn earned a fifth place finish in the 400M.
Kaden Briggs got fifth in the 110M Hurdles, and second in the 400M Hurdles. The boy Redhawks’ 4×100 relay team finished second, and the girls came in fifth.
Kayla Racine finished in fourth in the 4kg shot put, and Jasmine Brown leaped her way to second in the long jump.
The Griffins had a hike to Seneca to compete in the 3-A Qualifier. Trenell Boyd claimed the fourth position in the 400M Hurdles.
The Fairfield 4×100 relay team, Kimoni Harris,Wesley Benbow, Ahquil Ross and Dorian Glenn, finished in third. The 4×400 relay team, Jordan Boyd, Dorian Glenn, Wesley Benbow and Kimoni Harris, brung home second.
Noah Edwards (20) comes in as a courtesy runner, and slides in past a close tag at home. Photo/ Martha Ladd
WINNSBORO – Richard Winn baseball was eliminated from SCISA State title contention Wednesday after a 14-4 loss in the second game of their series with the Holly Hill Raiders. Holly Hill, last year’s SCISA Class A baseball champions, won game one 11-1 on Tuesday.
“Holly Hill is a team that’s won back to back state championships,” Richard Winn head coach Paul Brigman said. “They were the number one seed this year so they’re clearly the best team in 1-A. They got a really good program. That program has been really strong for several years.”
Despite the final score, the game stayed interesting up through the first few innings, and Richard Winn even held the early lead. After Holly Hill was shut down in the top of the first, the Eagles put up a score on a Bryant Carvalho RBI-single that scored Brandon Miller, who was hit in the head by a pitch.
The Raiders did not wait long to tie the contest back up at one. Josh Siau got on base due to an Eagles’ fielding error, and after a stolen base and sacrifice bunt, Siau ended up on third with just one out. Dylan Hill dribbled a ground ball for the second out, but in the process brought Siau home. In the third, Hank Avinger and John Brown also knocked in ground-out RBIs for the Raiders to go along with two errors and another run scored.
After the three-run third inning, Holly Hill took a 4-1 lead, but it was short-lived because the Eagles charged back in the bottom half of the third. Chris Christianson led the surge with a base-knock to begin the inning.
Bryant Carvalho reached on first on an error, and a pitch that went to the back-stop scored Christianson and Carvalho made his way over to third base. Jimmy McKeown followed Carvalho and delivered a big RBI single.
Later in the third, Peyton Gilbert jolted another RBI single out to left field that evened the score up again. However, the next three innings were all Holly Hill.
The first four Raider batters in the fourth delivered hits, including a Hank Avinger RBI-double that broke the tie. Nick Strickland knocked in two base-runners with a single, and then a series of errors allowed two more Raiders,including Strickland, to cross the plate.
By the time the first five batters had cycled through the fourth inning, the Raiders had scored five runs. They followed that up by putting up a three-run fifth inning that featured Hank Avinger getting two more RBIs to add to his total.
The 10-run mercy rule kicked in after the Raiders picked up two more runs in the top of the sixth frame.
“I think the future is bright,” Brigman said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys. Most of our issues this year was experience, especially with our pitching staff. We really only had one guy that we could consistently count on to throw strikes, but we’ve got several guys that came on right at the end of the year that are going to be able to help us next year.”
This game was the last for Richard Winn seniors’ Bryant Carvalho, Chris Christianson and Tyler Douglas.
“We’re going to miss this senior class an awful lot,” Brigman said. “ These are guys that when I came in coaching five years ago, were eighth grade kids and we’ve kind of all been together in the program for the last five years and they do mean a lot to me and they mean a lot to the team as well. For the first time in a long time we were an extremely young team and those guys did a really good job of being leaders.”
RWA: 1-0-3-0-0-4
HHA:0-1-3-5-3-2-14
Hitting: 1B- Peyton Gilbert, Chris Christianson (2), Bryant Carvalho, Jimmy McKeown (RWA); Evan Boyd (4), Andrew Siau, Hank Avinger, Nick Strickland, Josh Siau, Jordan Boyd, Shane Hawkins (2) (HHA). 2B- Hank Avinger, Josh Siau (HHA).
Pitching: WP- Josh Siau, LP- Zach Taylor.
BLYTHEWOOD – Another year and another Blythewood Dixie Youth team will be representing the town in The Dixie Youth World Series. This time it will be The Machine Pitch All-Stars headed to Cleveland, Mississippi for the World Series from July 28 through Aug.1. This tops off their first ever state title in a close 5-3 contest against Lexington.
