Who Will Rule the Diamonds in Region III–5A?
By Cole Bryson
With basketball now in the rear view mirror, the baseball & softball seasons are about to crash through the windshield. Jeff Lipscomb was a guest on the Saturday Sports Report where he previewed the 2017 Bulldogs of Boiling Springs High School. With a senior heavy squad, Coach Lipscomb expects his guys to be able to compete night in & night out in a very tough region. The Bulldogs are one of the top teams entering the season as well as the Dorman Cavaliers & the Gaffney Indians. Dorman is talented as usual and will be interesting to watch with first year Head Coach in Jack Jolley. The two players to watch in this region will be Mason Streater of Boiling Springs & Bryson Ward of Gaffney. Streater is committed to play at The University of South Carolina & Ward is committed to The College of Charleston. Both Gaffney & Boiling Springs have been hitting well in the preseason and will be known this season for their heavy hitting. With the Byrnes Rebels losing one of their aces in the preseason, the Rebels look to remain competitive, relying on underclassmen to provide depth on the mound. Last but not least, Spartanburg looks to show off its youth and compete by developing players. Coach Wesley Brown believes his guys are a year away in a very competitive region. A recent South Carolina commit, Jax Cash looks to be the backbone of this Viking squad. Look for Boiling Springs, Dorman, & Gaffney to all be very competitive near the top of the region and for Byrnes to be a sleeper throughout region play while Spartanburg weathers the storm of developing young players & fights to stay in the playoff hunt.
While the boys are stretching the field on the baseball diamond, the girls are expecting a very competitive region as well. To many already, Byrnes is the favorite to win this region. The Rebels felt like they left a lot on the field last year & look to build off of what was a disappointing ending to a hopeful season. Coach Brandi Aiken has a full squad returning & looks to the seniors to provide leadership for the 2017 campaign. The Boiling Springs Bulldogs are also poised to make noise in the region as well. Coach Randy Piazza has senior leadership from Shelby Griffin, Logan Webb, Emma Williams, Calli Richards, & Moriah Gomez. However, Gaffney & Dorman aren’t going to let Byrnes run the table. Gaffney is a team that can be very dangerous if they make the post season. Dorman’s seniors will be able to provide leadership this year that may give the Cavaliers a chance to stay near the top of the region. Similar to baseball, Spartanburg is going to be a team that has a lot of water to tread. The youth of this team will make it hard for the Vikings to compete for a region title with a loaded Byrnes team but Coach Tracy Kennedy isn’t going to give up hope. Anything can happen while playing small ball & this region should be fun to watch. Both Byrnes & Boiling Springs have been crowned with State Titles in the last 4 years, and one of them may be able to make another run this year. As usual, the two Boiling Springs – Byrnes games will be pivotal after all the dusts settles.
