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Dear S.C. High School Baseball Coach, Good day, I hope this letter finds you, your family, and your team doing well. I would first of all like to introduce myself. My name is Matt Covington, head baseball coach at Batesburg-Leesville High School. I am proud to join one of the greatest groups of men in the whole world, South Carolina High School baseball coaches. I am sending you this letter to ask you to pledge an amount of money to the American Red Cross’ efforts in helping with the devastating natural disaster that tore up the little island of Haiti. We talk to our players at B-L all the time about helping others and with this project, "Home Runs for Haiti," we believe that their play, along with your team’s play, will do just that.  We are asking for you as a program to pledge a small amount for each home run your team hits during the 2010 regular season. All the money will be collected and sent to our local American Red Cross. . Mother Teresa put it well when she said, "If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one." We believe a little bit can go a long way.   Please take the time to look over the pledging information below and send this back to me by April 1, 2010. Then, we will send out an acknowledgement to you after the regular season is completed. The last step is to send a check for the pledged amount times  the # of homeruns hit in 2010 regular season. If you have any questions, please feel to contact me at [email protected] or call me at 803-760-2511. 2010 "Home Runs for Haiti" Name of School:_______________________________________________________ Name of Contact at School:_______________________________________________ Pledge Amount per Home Run: $1.00___________$5.00_________$10.00__________$20.00________Other___________ Please return filled out form to: Matt Covington, 600 Summerland Ave. Batesburg, SC 29006.

By: Nick Nickles – February -, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Here is the skinny on the next region on our radar…

By: Nick Nickles – February 5, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Next up, Region II-3A… Here’s how we picked them: -J.L. Mann -Eastside -Wade Hampton -Greenville -Travelers Rest -Berea X-Factor Team: Eastside Eagles Why? Eastside has two good arms. South Carolina signee RHP Drake Thomason (right) is arguably the best right hander North of Cisco. Thomason has the ability to beat J.L. Mann twice in this Region, and everyone around knows it. If he’s on, he can easily hold any team statewide scoreless. That being said, the biggest question for the Eagles will be scoring runs. Sophomore Austin Mason is a quality arm but he will need to grow up in a hurry for Eastside to contend. If Mason can corral some big wins on the mound, and If Eastside can show any type of offensive production early in the season, then Eastside becomes a serious statewide contender. In the end, the Region Championship will have to go through the arm of Drake Thomason. Sleeper: Wade Hampton Generals   Why not to sleep on the Generals: Wade Hampton has two very good arms. SS/RHP Champ Rowland (left) and southpaw 1B/LHP Kyle Martin are as good as any duo in the Upstate. Rowland was up to 90 this fall, at times dominating the DP Fall League. Rowland is also rated the #1 SS in the senior class. South Carolina commitment Kyle Martin gives opponents another difficult look from the hill while contributing a top-notch bat to the middle of the lineup for the Generals. Wade Hampton has some dangerous weapons hidden in the stockpile. Senior RHP Christian Ashford showed in the DP Fall League that he could provide some quality innings and sophomore INF Brooks Yeager showed the potential to swing the bat. The concern for the Generals entering the season is filling the void C Will Van Pelt left upon graduating in ’09. If the Generals didn’t lack depth, they could easily be a Top 10 team entering the season. Why they should win it: J.L. Mann J.L. Mann should win the Region on experience alone. Mann has the most experienced players while also possessing the most collected group of talent in the region. Senior David Donald (left) is the dynamic leader for the Patriots that brings speed, power, and above average defense to centerfield. Donald missed all of ’09 with shoulder surgery. (Sophomore stats: .456, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 8 SB) Donald is without a doubt the best athlete in South Carolina that focuses solely on baseball. Senior LHP Robert Landers (right) will serve as the #1 starter for Mann, and has 8 to 10 win potential this season. Juniors OF Reid Moman, 1B Bo Thompson, and OF Matt Peden have all surfaced quickly as proven bats and should keep the Pats running around the bases all season. While the Patriots have notable offensive strengths, they have to play solid defense to win a championship. Also, Mann has to identify someone, anyone who can pitch with any kind of consistency behind Landers. If the Patriots can make the plays, especially on the left-side of the infield, they should prevail. Winning Region II will not be a cake walk. Other Notables: •     Greenville is a young group with some talent they are grooming for the future. Sophomore Miguel Viera swung it well last year as a freshman and Wes Reynolds gives them a solid mid-80’s arm on the mound. The Red Raiders will add some depth to the region, and we will label them as a "Deep Sleeper" this season •     The layout of the schedule and weather will be very important in this Region. There are some easier games toward the bottom of the group and some teams hold a "queen of spade" type arm. If it gets backed up, it becomes luck of the draw to avoid high caliber arms. –   X-Factor player is Drake Thomason. If Thomason starts the season on a hot note, that will put pressure on all the other teams in the region as the season progresses. It’s not only Thomason’s arm though as they will rely heavily on him for offensive production as well.               

By: Nick Nickles – February 3, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Here is the skinny on the next region on our radar… How we picked Region V-3A: -South Aiken -Airport -Dreher -Brookland-Cayce -Midland Valley -Swansea X-Factor Team: Brookland-Cayce Why? The answer is simple, Brian Hucks. Widely considered as the best high school coach in the state, Hucks will have his team prepared to win any way possible this season. The Bearcats return junior southpaw Michael Gilroy who posted some gaudy numbers last year as a sophomore posting an 8-0 record and 0.57 ERA. While the Bearcats are short on talent this year, tradition is hard to break. B-C has ruled the roost for many years in the lower state and those expectations should help this team thru potentially tough stretches this season. While B-C has lost a few players to graduation and some for unexpected reasons, they will still be a large determining factor on how this Region plays out. Hucks cannot be counted out, but this year he may ultimately just play the role of spoiler. 1B Chase Shelton will need to contribute an All-State caliber year and SS Kenyatta Castleberry will need to be a rock at SS to give the Bearcats a shot at title contention. Sleeper: Dreher Why not to sleep on the Blue Devils??? Dreher finished strong in 2009 with a 7-3 record that was good enough for second place in Region V. They return two-way contributor Chandler Knox and RHP Bud Jeter (left) to give Dreher two mid-80’s arms with pitchability. Knox and Jeter are both ranked in the Top 20 Senior RHP rankings. Two good pitchers is a solid start for making a run in high school baseball. Don’t sleep on Bud Jeter, who looked terrific at the DP Fall Showcase, flashing the best breaking ball of the event! Why they should win it… South Aiken The Thoroughbreds have the right genetic combinations to win this horserace! South Aiken literally has twice the amount of talent as any other team in the Region. It’s simply showing up and taking care of business. Quality LHP in Andrew Faulkner and very underrated RHP in Stephen Leopard give SA mound prowess. 1B Chris Brooks, INF Nate Kuhns, INF Ben Donath and OF Tyler Rowe should provide plenty of offense for this powerful club. South Aiken should win this conference with ease, and if they don’t it will interesting to see how it doesn’t happen. South Aiken has all the makings of churning its way into a special season.   Other Notables: •      Airport returns premium Midland’s players in Lucas Knight and W.T. Murden but questions behind the dish raise serious concerns for a serious title contention. •      Midland Valley’s Cole Cromer (right) gives "The Valley" a solid mid to upper-80’s arm that can slice the ankles of a contender at some point during the season. •      B-C’s Michael Gilroy is the X-factor player in Region V. He gets all the tough games this season for B-C. Gilroy can cause a lot of disruption if he can win the big ones during the season.

By: Nick Nickles – January 28, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may not go as according to our predictions: The next group is my personal favorite… Region 2-4A. Here is the skinny on generally the most talented and most unpredictable Region in South Carolina! How we picked Region I-4A: -Boiling Springs -Spartanburg -Dorman -Byrnes -Hillcrest -Mauldin X-Factor Team: Spartanburg Vikings Why? Brandon Landrie (RHP, right) and Hamilton Heatly (LHP) give the Vikings possibly the top 1-2 punch in the Region. Ben Kyle gives them added depth on the mound and he also teams with Nicholas Myers to give the Vikings a solid set of hands in the infield. Throw in the #1 catcher in the 2010 class in Luke Weber and the Vikings could easily be the team to beat in this Region. Spartanburg also defends well in the outfield gaps with Dominique Aiken patrolling the OF. If the Viking’s infield makes the plays, I believe they could control their own destiny.   Sleeper Teams: Parity presents different types of sleepers in Region 2! The sleeper that can contend: Dorman Cavaliers Why not to sleep on the Cavs… They’ve still got some talent…The bullseye is off the Cavs. According to my research, no 4A DP Pre-Season #1 has won a State Championship. It’s called pressure!!! The history of all sports proves it’s a reality not a myth. With the pressure removed and new kids on the block the Cavs have a different type of excitement surrounding this year’s club. Ben Waddle has the best hitter in the State in Hunter Cole (left). The Cavs as a whole will swing the bats better than most presume with Fisher Easterling, Zach Metts, Jospeh Metz and Tyler Crocker all capable with the potential to contribute. The kicker for the Cavs is pitching!!! If Waddle can find some solid starters to allow his position players to focus on hitting, which is what they do best, they will be dangerous. If middle of the order bats are trying to throw grenades and hit them, they could swirl at some point…. The sleeper that can shake up the standings: Hillcrest Rams Why Hillcrest can snakebite opponents… Last year Hillcrest fell victim to an unprecedented amount of injuries. They return a healthy senior Zach McAllister (right) to the mound. When healthy, McAllister was one of the better starters in the region as a sophomore. Shane Thurston and Perry Case add experienced depth in their senior campaigns. Kirk Shelley returns behind the plate along with senior’s Trayce Rogers and Zach Morgan. While it’s unlikely for Hillcrest to contend for the title, they could easily be the team that shakes it up. Hillcrest could certainly finish in the 3-5 range in this conference.               Why they should win it: Boiling Springs What we have learned at DP is not to bet against Jeff Lipscomb’s Bulldogs. Hunter Rice (left) is the leader and you’ll have to go thru him in his senior year to change it. Winning is expected. The kids are the tough, the fan’s cuss, and they love baseball. Beating them at the friendly confines of the Dawg Pound has proven to be almost impossible over the past couple of years. They may not win it, but they are always ready for a good fight. Other Notables: –      Byrnes has Daniel Gossett (right) on the bump. He’s likely the apex arm in the league, but you have to score runs in this region to win big. Until Byrnes shows the ability to score runs consistently, or a formidable #2 pitcher arises, they can’t truly be considered a contender but also can’t be discounted. –      Rain, pitching match-ups, layout of schedule, and upsets all usually play a part in this league. Boiling Springs, Spartanburg, Dorman, Byrnes, and Hillcrest are all playoff teams in any other region in 4-A, but someone will stay home. –      The X-factor player in this league is Hunter Rice. Boiling Springs has to replace 73 innings that Cameron Holmes logged last year and an 8-2 record. How many of these innings can Rice eat up at optimal performance? Depending on how much workload Rice leaves Jonathan Pulley and Justin Turner is a big factor in this league. –      Does Mauldin’s (DP’s 4A All-Decade team) continued absence from the playoffs extend to 3 years?   

By: Nick Nickles – January 26, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you – the player, parent, coach etc. – view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether it’s team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this series of articles, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may not go according to our predictions: Let’s start with Region I-4A! Here is how we stacked them up: -Easley -TL Hanna -Wren -Laurens -Greenwood -Westside X-Factor Team: Wren Hurricanes Why? Jeff Tate moved over from Byrnes to coach Football at Wren. The weight training program changed to focus on speed and agility. The speed has shown in the Cane’s quickly and from a physical standpoint as well. They had a few players show up at our Fall Showcase that dropped half a second on their 60-times. They were young last year but still solid. If Austin McKaskill, L.J. Newman and Elliot Caldwell have good seasons offensively and Wren gets key contributions on the mound out of Jon Rosenburger and Tyler Jackson they should win this conference. Sleeper Team: Greenwood Eagles Why not to sleep on the Eagles… Greenwood has a proven starter in Wofford Commitment (that you’ve never heard about) Nathan Bridges. Ty Wimmer and Davis Behrendt have played on the Varsity since the 8th grade and will bring valuable experience. Erskine commit Cody Dysart has emerged as mid-80’s arm that give the Eagles all the makings of a sleeper in this region. Last but not least, Japanese transfer Tasuku Kaneko (right) will play his senior season as a two-way guy that had some success in his first season in America in ’09.            Why they should win it: Easley Greenwave Head Coach Roger Finley has continued to keep the Greenwave near the front of the pack every year since he took the helm at Easley. Through years of thicker and thinner talent, he’s kept the Greenwave consistently near the top of the pecking order. The conference is down this year missing the dominant arms of the past few years giving Easley its best shot at taking the crown.   Other Notables… –Laurens streak of winning the conference in all likelihood will end this season at three straight years -Hanna’s Jake Long (left) is the X-factor player in this region. He’s the best arm and could easily go undefeated. His battery mate Clemson commit Garrett Boulware is the best player in the state that you likely haven’t seen play. Long could easily be the only constant factor in the Region. Other contributions from younger players will ultimately make or break the Jackets.

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