According to the Andrew Jackson Volunteers, the road to the Southeastern Baseball Championship goes one of two ways: through Bethune or through McBee. Those are the choices Coach Mike Lucas’ bus driver will have to make as the Volunteers make the trip from Kershaw to Hartsville.
Don’t let the rural ride fool you. The Volunteers are poised to make some noise, not just at the SBC, but at the statewide level. Coming off a 25-9 season and a Lower State Championship in 2021, Andrew Jackson has been picked by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches’ Association and Diamond Prospects to win the 2022 2A State Championship.
Looking at their roster, there’s reason to believe Andrew Jackson will be in the running for both the SBC crown and a state championship. The Volunteers are led by Chapel Hill-commit Kyle Percival. The hard-throwing lefty is the #4 ranked southpaw in the state for the class of ‘22 by Diamond Prospects. Following Percival on the bump is another senior and Spartanburg Methodist-commit, Ashton Phillips. Percival and Phillips will be throwing to the overall top-ranked player in South Carolina for the class of ’25 by both the Prep Baseball Report (PBR) and Diamond Prospects, Skyler Hegler. Hegler, who is also ranked as the 49th best player in the country for the class of ’25 by PBR, has committed to continue his playing career at Clemson.
Shortstop Landon Peavy ’23 and Outfielder Bryce Helms ’22 are additional players to watch for the Volunteers. Peavy is the third ranked shortstop in his class by Diamond Prospects. Helms has committed to play at Spartanburg Methodist next season.
Coach Mike Lucas is in his 13th season at Andrew
Jackson. He started the 2022 season with
163 career wins and will be looking to add to that total during his team’s stay
in Hartsville. Lucas is joined by
assistants Kolby Whitley, Jimmy Jackson and Tommy Wrape.
SBC Schedule for the Volunteers:
- Tuesday, April 19 vs. Hartsville at 7:30pm
- Wednesday, April 20 vs. Georgia Premier at 2:30pm
- Thursday, April 21 vs. Trinity Collegiate at 9:30am
The Volunteers will also play on Friday, April 22. That game time and opponent will be determined by Tuesday-Thursday’s outcomes.
Jimmy White Park at Kelleytown Stadium, aka The Jimmy, in Hartsville, SC is the host site for the annual Southeastern Baseball Classic. The mission of the Southeastern Baseball Classic to promote the game of baseball, to enhance the lives of athletes through competition and scholarship, and to involve the community by assembling sportsmen in tournament play.
To visit the official SBC home page, click here. "Join Us At The Jimmy" is a blog associated with the Southeastern Baseball Classic and its goal is to make people more aware of teams and players visiting Hartsville for the SBC, as well as introducing our guests to the traditions and uniqueness of our town and tournament.
No comments:
Post a Comment