Sizzlin'
* Anderson - The Trojans got a pair of wins over Staten Island at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach. Sunday's 21-15 win was adventuresome one, as Anderson committed seven errors, leading to 11 unearned runs. The Trojans scored the game's final nine runs. Kye Andress has hit safely in all 14 games for AU (13-1).* Charleston Southern - A sweep of Delaware State evened the Buccaneers' record at 4-4. The caliber of remaining competition ranks somewhere between top 10 Ole Miss (last week) and the Hornets, so it will be interesting to see where CSU settles in. Evan Truitt has been solid in two starts. Ajay Sczepkowski has been the offensive pacesetter.
* Clemson - The Tigers lit up the scoreboard in its weekend sweep of Hartford, increasing the team batting average to .327. Clemson has scored 82 runs in seven games. Granted, the 13- and 28-run outings against a snowbird Hartford team inflated that number, but consider that's more than one-quarter of the 306 runs the Tigers scored in 52 games a season ago. A .257 team batting average in 2021 also played a role in the program's first losing season since the 1950s. Benjamin Blackwell, Tyler Corbitt, Caden Grice (3 home runs), Chad Fairey, Bryar Hawkins, Cooper Ingle and Max Wagner are all hitting .300 or better. On the mound, Clemson has a 2.25 ERA, way under the 5.00 last season. Pitcher Mack Anglin hasn't allowed a run in 10 innings. It's early, and the competition will be much stiffer, but the Tigers appear headed in a good direction.
* Coastal Carolina - The Chanticleers are hitting .340 as a team and have a 3.40 staff ERA, so a 7-1 record after Monday's 9-6 matinee win over Ball State is understandable. As expected Eric Brown (.462) has been one of the offensive leaders. But Matt McDermott, Dale Thomas (2 HR), Cooper Weiss and Austin White (13 RBI) have done well, too. On the mound, Michael Knorr has struck out 16 in 12 1/3 innings.
* Coker - The Cobras lost 10 of 12 to open the season, but went 3-0 to begin South Atlantic Conference play and take a share of first place. Phill Griffor (.403, 15 RBI) has been an offensive catalyst. Triston Fowler has 16 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings, collecting two saves.
* College Charleston - A weekend sweep of Siena was a good bounce back from a midweek loss at Clemson. Two comfortable wins were sandwiched around a walk-off thriller. Trailing 2-1 in their final at-bat of that game, the Cougars got a clutch two-run double from Tyler Sorrentino (.393). J.T. Marr continues to be solid, hitting .481 The staff ERA is 2.70, with 72 strikeouts in 60 innings. Daniel Brooks has two no-decisions to show for a 1.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 11 innings.
* Florence-Darlington Tech - After a 2-5 start, the Stingers have gone 8-2, including a 3-1 record in a pair of split doubleheaders over the weekend. A major offensive cog as been Clemson transfer Noah Stout (.364, 5 HR, 16 RBI).
* Lander - It was a good week for the Bearcats, who won four straight to move above .500 for the first time since the opener. Vincent DeRubeis hit three homers in the weekend series with Lincoln Memorial giving him six for the year.
* Newberry - Coach Russell Triplett's squad was the state's busiest team last week, going 4-2 in six games. The Wolves saw a 5-3 lead midway through a game at North Greenville evaporate into a 14-5 loss. In the finale of the weekend series with USC Aiken, Newberry got the potential tying run to third base in both the eighth and ninth innings without pushing it across. Braylin Marine is hitting .437 with a mind-boggling 27 RBIs in 17 games.
* North Greenville - The comeback wins over Francis Marion and Newberry helped coach Landon Powell's Crusaders to a 3-1 week and put them back atop my state rankings for NCAA Division II schools. NGU has a .322 team batting average and is scoring almost nine runs per game. Josh Senter has hit four of the Crusaders' 21 home runs and five players have 13 or more RBI. There have been several bright spots in the bullpen, including Tristen Hudson and Noah Takac, who have struck out 25 and allowed one earned run in 23 2/3 innings.
* Presbyterian - It has been feast or famine for the Blue Hose lineup. Take Jake Gorman (.417), Jay Wetherington (.400) and Chris Veach (.300) out of the equation and PC has a .186 team batting average. Starters David Eagen (2.45) and Duncan Howard (2.79) have been sharp.
* South Carolina - Michael Braswell is the early leader to be top newcomer for the Gamecocks. The freshman has show good range and a strong arm at shortstop, as well as hitting .429. In addition, he has a win and a save after striking out all five batters faced in two relief appearances. Andrew Eyster (.500) and Braylin Wimmer (.467) have been other offensive stalwarts. Starting pitching could be an issue for the immediate future. Projected Friday starter Julian Bosnic hasn't pitched yet and not return date appears imminent yet because of flexor issues. Early choice as No. 3 starter James Hicks struggled in his first start, then left his second start early with an apparent injury. Will Sanders (2-0, 3.00) has stepped into the No. 1 starter role and has been effective. The door is open for newcomers like Aidan Hunter or holdovers like John Gilreath, Parker Coyne, Wesley Sweatt, Cam Tringali and C.J. Weins to play a major role.
* The Citadel - Winning two of three over Villanova over the weekend put the Bulldogs halfway to their 2021 total of 12 victories. Particularly impressive was that both wins came because of late-inning comebacks. Sawyer Reeves had a walk-off single on Friday, then the cadets wiped out an early 6-2 deficit and scored six runs in the eighth to win Sunday's game, 13-10. Tilo Skole is hitting .400 with 10 RBI, while Travis Lott follows at .391. In addition, Cole Simpson is batting .370 with 16 RBI and Reeves is batting .364. Cameron Reeves (1-0, 1.29, 17 strikeouts in 14 innings) and Devin Beckley (2-0, 2.25, 13 strikeouts in 8 innings) and Furman refugee Brian Beatson (1-0, 0.0) have been bright spots on the mound.
* USC Aiken - The Pacers (6-7), who have played perhaps as challenging a schedule as any of the state's NCAA Division II teams, wriggled out of a couple of late jams to salvage Game 3 against Newberry. Joel Haney (2-1, 1.27, 23 strikeouts) gave Aiken a solid start and the bullpen survived a little wildness to hold on. Jeff Cyr (.375) and Sean McQuillan (.348) have been offensive leaders.
* USC Lancaster - The Lancers have won three straight after a six-game losing streak to even their record. Jonah McElheney is batting .462 with 12 RBI
* USC Sumter - The Fire Ants won two of three over the weekend and at 11-3 are off to their best start since 2014. Sumter is batting .354 as a team and has a 3.34 staff ERA. Jackson Price (.354, 15 RBI), Cameron Heath (.415) and Cooper Bryson (.400) have hit for average, while Capers Molinaroli (364, 16 RBI and Andrew Brown (.359, 18 RBI) have been productive run-producers. Jeremiah Locklear has an 0.77 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings, Nick Petit (2-0, 1.50) and Jarrett Oakes (2-0, 1.80) have been outstanding starters for coach Tim Medlin's team.
* USC Union - The Bantams are a young program compared to their NJCAA Region 10 rivals, but they are enjoying unparalleled success. Getting a walk-off win in a 3-1 series win over Mott CC over the weekend gave Union a program-best 8-2 start. Burton Hahn has hit two homers and driven in 12 runs in 10 games, while Trent Turner is batting .448 with a homer and 11 RBI.
* USC Upstate - A season-opening loss has been followed by a six-game winning streak for the Spartans. Devin Buckner "cooled off" to a .522 season average after hitting "just" .500 last week. He has driven in 13 runs in six games. Not far behind is Noah Rabon (.481). A 2.71 staff ERA has been a big factor in the successful start.
* Voorhees - The Tigers have won four of their last five games after an 0-8 start. I'd love to give some individual players recognition, but am having trouble getting even the most basic of details.
Shiverin'
* Benedict - Coach Selwyn Young has 22 freshmen on the 30-man roster, and the youth is showing in an 0-11 start. The Tigers seemed on the brink of a win this weekend, taking a 6-5 lead into the seventh inning against Tuskegee, thanks to a three-run double by Jorge Baez. But Tuskegee scored three runs in the final inning to win.
* Bob Jones - The Bruins dropped to 0-7, but not before giving their fans some excitement. BJU scored four runs in the seventh inning of Saturday's Game 2 to force extra innings before losing in nine. The offense picked up from a dismal first three games, raising the batting average from .097 to .225. Daniel Barcena and Cole Pearson are are both hitting .389.
* Columbia International - The Rams are 6-14, including a 2-10 record against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 20. After a midweek game with Bob Jones, No. 21 Reinhardt looms on the weekend.
* Francis Marion - A challenging week resulted in a 1-3 record for the Patriots. One that will stick in their craws is the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill at North Greenville. FMU took a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth, only to have the Crusaders score six runs and hold on for the series win. A 6.84 staff ERA and 21 errors in 13 games have negated a .304 team batting average. Todd Mattox (.373), Naphis Llanos (.359) and Darius Nobles (.333, 4 HR, 15 RBI) have been offensive bright spots.
* Limestone - The Saints had a 1-3 week, and it could have been worse. Mars Hill took an early 7-1 lead in Saturday's first game before Limestone rallied to win 14-12. Clark Burroughs (.356, 5 HR, 16 RBI) is the only regular hitting above .300. Opponents have scored in double figures in nine of 15 games, contributing to an 8.83 staff ERA. Throw in 34 errors and it's easy to explain a 2-13 record.
* Morris - The Hornets normally play far fewer games than other state teams. A pair of losses to Voorhees last week dropped their record to 0-3.
* Southern Wesleyan - A walk-off passed ball may not be the most exciting way to win a game, but it produced the Warriors' only victory of the week. Granted, they were one out away from a win over Anderson when the game was suspended by fog. SWU hit just .232 in its weekend series with Barton. Five regulars are hitting .300 or better, but an 8.92 staff ERA and 25 errors are hard to overcome.
* USC Salkehatchie - It's now a nine-game losing streak for the Indians. Game 1 Saturday in Spartanburg was frustrating. Kenny Miller took a 2-0 shutout into the sixth inning only to have Southern Union State score five runs. Miller struck out nine before being lifted.
* Winthrop - A weekend trip to nationally ranked Liberty ended in a sweep, pushing the Eagles' losing streak to five games. After scoring 19 runs in two wins, Winthrop has totaled five runs during its current skid. A .203 team batting average, a 6.86 staff ERA and 13 errors in seven games are not conducive to success.
* Wofford - You know it's not been a good week when a cancellation could be considered the highlight. The Terriers went 0-3. Wofford committed three errors in a midweek loss to Georgia, giving the Terriers 11 in four games. Things went better defensively over the weekend at Fluor Field, but another two losses resulted. Monmouth hammered Terriers pitching for 18 runs on 22 hits - with scven walks and a hit-by-pitch thrown in - on Friday. Saturday's 2-1 loss to Marist came in spite a seven-hit, 11-strikeout effort by three pitchers. Wofford got the potential winning run to second in the ninth inning before the final two batters struck out. Zeb Roos leads the Terriers with a .438 average, while Ryan Galanie is at .368 with three solo home runs. Josh Vitus (1-1, 3.00) is the only Wofford starter with an ERA below 8.31.
So-so
* Erskine - Imagine the emotional rollercoaster the Flying Fleet experienced in Saturday's doubleheader split with UNC Pembroke. Armando Beccera hit a walk-off home run to win Game 1 and Erskine put up 11 runs in the second inning of Game 2. But the Braves responded with nine runs in the third and pulled away to a 15-11 win.
* Spartanburg Methodist - The Pioneers snapped a six-game losing streak with a Saturday win over USC Salkehatchie. Jordan Young had a seven-RBI performance overshadowed in a 20-11 midweek loss to Gaston. Young is hitting .357 with 5 homers and 21 RBI.
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