By: Austin Alexander & Sterling Dye – February 21, 2009
Frigid temperatures greeted Diamond Prospects on Saturday morning but eventually gave way to sunny skies, comfortable weather and a great afternoon of baseball by some evenly matched perennial contenders.
As Opening Day of the prep season nears, pitch counts are being to be extended and what occurs between the lines begin to take on more meaning as teams put the finishing touch on their line-ups and rotations.
This day proved productive for the five clubs that landed at Brookland-Cayce, so let’s recap!
-Game Summary-
Game 1: Airport 14 Southside Christian 2, 8 innings
Airport jumped out to a 14-0 lead in this one, assisted by a three-run homerun off the bat of junior catcher Zack Hawley. That was all the Airport pitchers would need, highlighted by the work of W.T. Murden (right), who no-hit Southside in his three innings of work. Southside would finally get on the board with two runs in the sixth on back-to-back RBI singles off the bat of Christian McClure and Austin McClure.
Game 2: Sumter 5 Brookland-Cayce 5, 5 innnings
The Bearcats sprinted out to an early cushion with four first inning runs, highlighted by Zack Warner’s 2-run double. Sumter’s Tyler Smith (left) paced a late offensive charge with a two-RBI double of his own, eventually leading to a 5-5 tie.
Game 3: Sumter 7 Stratford 6, 5 innings
Patric Limehouse had a 2-run double to spark a 4-run second inning for Stratford. The Gamecocks erased another early deficit on Tyler Smith’s 2-run homer and a five run fifth to give them a 7-6 advantage.
Game 4: Stratford 1 Brookland-Cayce 0, 5 innings
Stratford junior Chris Hanna controlled the tempo of this affair with a 1-hit effort over 5 scoreless innings. BC’s Jeremy Brazzell nearly matched him in this nightcap quicky. Stratford’s lone run was scored on a walk, error and RBI groundout.
——————————————————-
-Airport Eagles-
Airport High School has had their share of talented players through the years, but has not been able to piece it all together for a deep playoff run. They are trying to buck the trend with this year’s squad. Led by junior RHP W.T. Murden and junior 2B Lucas Knight (left). The Eagles are a young team that has some talent, but will have to go through a tough region with Brookland-Cayce and South Aiken this year. Coach John Johnson‘s team is junior laden and looking forward to a good year.
Pitchers
Name | Class | R/L | FB | CB/SL | CH |
W.T. Murden | Jr | R | 83-86 | 69/71-73, solid downer | 75 |
Derek Cushman | Jr | R | 79-82 | 70 | 74 |
Stuart Pound | Jr | R | 78-80 | 64/72-74 | – |
Zack Hawley | Jr | R | 76-77 | – | – |
Zack Sightler | Fr | R | 75-76 | – | – |
Top Prospects
Rank | Name | Class | Pos | Scout Notes |
1 | W.T. Murden | Jr | RHP/OF | Murden pounded the zone with mid-80’s fastballs and a slider that will miss plenty of bats. He is an excellent athlete and will be a D-1 football recruit at the QB position. He runs well and has very good range in the outfield. Could be an interesting baseball option for schools if he does the baseball circuit this summer. |
2 | Lucas Knight | Jr | 2B | Knight is a very good high school middle infielder. He has good actions and a good enough arm for shortstop. He hits leadoff for the Eagles and is the catalyst for their entire offense. He barrels his share of balls and is a leader on the field. |
3 | Zack Hawley | Jr | C/RHP | Hawley is a quality hitter with plenty of juice in his stick. He is an adequate backstop and was throwing in the 2.15-2.2 range between innings. |
-Southside Christian Sabres-
The Sabres hope to make a run in the 1A playoff race led by senior OF/RHP Will Gladden and Christian McClure. They had a tough day today, but they will prove to be a scrappy team that will fight to the finish and be in position to win plenty of games in the 2009 season.
Pitchers
Name | Class | R/L | FB | CB/SL | CH |
Josh Olson | So | R | 78-80 | 68-70 | – |
Will Gladden | Sr | R | 75-77 | 65 | – |
Christian McClure | Jr | R | 69-72 | – | – |
Grant Holt | Sr | R | 68-71 | – | – |
Top Prospects
Rank | Name | Class | Pos | Scout Notes |
1 | Will Gladden | Sr | OF/RHP | North Greenville commit is a solid outfielder who can run a little bit. He hits leadoff for the Sabres and is their spark plug. Solid arm from the outfield. |
2 | Christian McClure | Jr | 3B/RHP | McClure can swing it and has potential for some pop down the road. He has a good frame and an average arm at third. |
3 | Grant Holt | Sr | 1B | Big body at first and swings it pretty good in the clean-up role for Southside. |
-Brookland-Cayce Bearcats-
Brian Hucks group is always well-prepared, even in February. The challenge that he and his staff will have in the early going is winning with an offense that returns 1 player with 20+ AB’s from 2009. They will rely offensively on precise execution and young bats, led by sophomore Chase Shelton, at the top of the line-up. Fortunate for B-C, they have quality arms to lean on in seniors James Hall (left) and Jeremy Brazzell (right), to go with emerging sophomore Michael Gilroy. Though the names may not be as recognizable or established, don’t bet against the 2009 Bearcats.
Pitchers
| Name | Class | R/L | FB | CB/SL | CH |
| James Hall | Sr | R | 85-86 | CB 67-70/SL 77-78 | 77 |
| Alex Nettles | Sr | R | 76-77 sink | 64-65 | – |
| Jeremy Bazzell | Sr | R | 84-86 | 71 | 65-75 ++ |
| Michael Gilroy | So | L | 81-83 | 70 slurve | 72 |
Top Prospects: To view BC’s Scout Day on January 13, click here.
Alumni Update: In between innings at Brookland-Cayce on Saturday, the press box speakers piped out the radio broadcast from USC’s grand opening versus Duquesne on the other side of the bridge. When last year’s Diamond King Adam Westmoreland took the mound in relief, it drew a buzz around the ballpark. The Bearcat graduate eventually worked 3 scoreless innings, allowing 0 hits, striking out 4…Just minutes following the USC game, the big fella strolled into Brookland-Cayce with ice still on his elbow! Applause and pats on the back greeted Westmoreland following his collegiate debut.
-Sumter Gamecocks-
Suffering from several key injuries and a Gamecock basketball playoff run, Sumter brought only 10 players to Columbia on Saturday. But the guys that boarded the bus served as the "Comeback Kids" in both of their scrimmages, coming back from sizable deficits versus BC and Stratford. Tyler Smith and Bruce Caldwell paced the offense while newcomer Jeremy Buckner (right) set the table and made some key plays with the glove. Brooks Shumake and his staff will feel like they are on a power play when they get to full strength, but on this day his club showed some guts and a little talent too!
Pitchers
| Name | Class | R/L | FB | CB/SL | CH |
| Tyler Smith | Jr | R | 84-85 sink | 68-69 solid | 75 tails |
| Bruce Caldwell | So | R | 83-84, 2 angles | 69-72 sharp/tight | – |
| Josh Kisamore | So | R | 79 | 71 | – |
| Jeremy Buckner | So | R | 80-83 | 70 | 68-69 |
Top Prospects
| Rank | Name | Class | Pos | Scout Notes |
| 1 | Bruce Caldwell | So | SS/RHP | Caldwell’s speed will determine where he lands with colleges; his swing stays on the plane of pitch; good glove and hitter that showed promise on bump with good CB |
| 2 | Tyler Smith | Jr | RHP/OF | Surefire two-way prospect that exhibited more promise with the bat on this day; good athlete with solid arm and power to go with big-game experience at early age |
| 3 | Jeremy Buckner | So | INF | New name to DP impressed in the box and defensively; "handsy" hitter with balance and discipline; showed versatility to play 3 infield positions well; definite player to "follow" |
| 4 | Josh Kisamore | So | 3B | The sophomore was more than solid at the hot corner sporting firm arm strength and barreled some balls on the day |
| T5 | Brantley Foxworth | Jr | C | Interesting catching prospect that will be asked to fill big shoes; solid defensively and turned around some fastballs |
| T5 | Drew Crooks | Jr | OF | Hit in 2-hole and was on base much of the day; athletic player that DP will keep tabs on |
-Stratford Knights-
The 2009 Knights are without some big thumpers from a year ago but much of the pitching that they rode last year is back with another year under their belt. If it really does take good pitching and defense to win, this club is poised to make another run this spring. They have two legit #1’s (Chris Hanna and Ryan Gunther) on the mound and Stratford is very strong up the middle with their gloves on. Their catalyst will be be sophomore Bobby Ison (right) whose game continues to improve. John Chalus’ teams always end up right in the playoff hunt, expect no different this season.
Pitchers
| Name | Class | R/L | FB | CB/SL | CH |
| Ryan Gunther | Sr | R | 83-87 | 68-71 sharp at times | 68-76 solid |
| David Barnette | Jr | L | 77-78 | – | – |
| Chris Hanna | Jr | L | 83-85 command! | 69-74 slurve | 74-76 +++ |
Top Prospects
| Rank | Name | Class | Pos | Scout Notes |
| 1 | Chris Hanna | Jr | LHP | Can flat out pitch; Can add and subtract with command of 3 pitches; good poise to go with sense for contolling the running game; high ceiling! |
| 2 | Ryan Gunther | Sr | RHP | His 83-84 in the 1st gave way to 86-87 and the command he is known for; sharper CB with depth and mixed CH with arm-side life |
| 3 | Bobby Ison | So | OF | LH-hitting baseball rat! Loves to play, plays the game hard and plays the game well; times down the line were 4.44 on a turn and 4.25/4.35/4.34 thru the bag; good defender and solid arm; Emerging 2011 player! |
| 4 | Chase Tidwell | Fr | 1B | Imposing presence physically with plenty of power in LH bat; will be scary when AB’s catch up to potential |
| 5 | Josh Crout | Sr | C | Un-signed senior that can defend and throw; Crout has background of handling a good prep staff and treats the game with respect; a backstop that can play for a school needing help behind the plate |
| 6 | Billy Motroni | So | SS | Actions and arm strength are very advanced; showed more of a feel for making the routine play on this day to go with plenty of flash to grab an evaluators eye; if bat catches up to defensive skills, Motroni could play at a high level past HS |
| 7 | Patric Limehouse | Jr | 3B/RHP | Limehouse may have blended into last year’s potent offense but he figures to be driving in big runs this season for the Knights; he will also log meaningful innings on the mound |
DP Note: All MPH’s were recorded with a Stalker radar gun.
DP’s Kudo’s: Once again, Brookland-Cayce served as a very gracious host for our most recent event. The yard was in great shape and we certainly appreciate Coach Hucks and his staff opening their gates to us again!