By: Austin Alexander-July 26, 2006
Eight teams, a town of crazed baseball fans and one full day of patriotism in Sumter on Wednesday was just part of the action on Day 1 of the 2006 South Carolina Legion Tournament. There were also four left-handed arms touching numbers in the 85+ range, one up to 91, two grand slams and fourteen hours worth of amateur baseball as each team worked toward a berth in the Southeast Regional.
Game 1
Cheraw 000 100 004 5 10 1
Richland 000 000 400 4 7 2
WP: Cary Presson LP: Robbie Wilcox SV: Justin Lindsay
Cheraw rallies for four runs in the top of the ninth inning and scores the go-ahead run on a wild pitch after a pitching dual entered the seventh frame.
To view entire game summary, click here for link to The Item.
Game 2
Rock Hill 020 300 000 5 6 3
Florence 210 407 00x 14 22 6
WP: Payne Parker LP: Bradley Byrd HR: Adam Hager (RH), Trey Lynch (F) grand slam
Eleven runs in the middle innings, throttled by Trey Lynch’s grand slam, allow Florence to advance into the winner’s bracket.
To view entire game summary, click here for link to The Item.
Game 3
Greenwood 110 020 300 7 14 2
Gaffney 000 030 101 5 10 1
WP: Justin Lawson LP: Robbie Wilkins HR: Trey Wimmer (Gr)
Trey Wimmer’s blast and Nick Milford’s three-hit performance propel Greenwood to two-run win.
To view entire game summary, click here for link to The Item.
Game 4
Murrells Inlet 000 000 0 0 2 3
Sumter 135 400 x 13 12 1
WP: Matt Talley LP: Kurt Petty HR: Allen Caldwell (S) grand slam
Potent Post-15 bats, led by Allen Caldwell’s six RBI and six Sumter stolen bases, allow host team to cruise to Round 2.
To view entire game summary, click here for link to The Item.
Prospect Information
Richland-Cheraw
Robbie Wilcox (Dreher, 2006, signed with Brown), left, rolled through eight frames with a sinking fastball at 84-85 and pitched off of #1 well. He complemented it with a slurvy breaking pitch that was 69-70 and a get-me-over curveball at 64-65. Wilcox is primarily a two-pitch guy but pounds the bottom of the zone with late movement. His delivery is slow developing with a very deliberate lift to balance but has a quick arm from a mid-3/4 slot.
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Houston Taylor (Chesterfield, 2005) matched zeros before departing in the seventh inning, he did it with a heavy sinking fastball that was 83-85 from a low arm angle. He featured a hard slurve at 75-80 that served as his out-pitch on this day. Like Wilcox, he attacked Richland hitters at the knees until he tired during a four-run inning.
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Justin Lindsay (Chesterfield, 2006) is unsigned and very interesting. He is 6-6/175 and left-handed with arm strength. He came on to record the 27th out a earn a save, he did so with a fastball at 84-87 from a mid-low ¾ slot and an above average slider that bit hard down and in on a right-handed hitter, it was 78-79. Didn’t get to see much out of Lindsay because he only faced one batter but showed every sign on the bump of a guy worth making a call about for a school still looking for help on the mound.
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Doug Allen (Dreher, 2007) squared up two balls early in the game and showed some arm strength.
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Todd Stoudenmire (Dreher, 2005, attends the College of Charleston) showed some arm strength and cruised under several balls in centerfield. He also turned in two quality running times from the left-side, 4.3 on a groundout and 3.97 on a bunt.
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Other players of note: Will Lewis (AC Flora, 2006, signed with Washington & Lee) and Justin Strauss (Dreher, 2007)…
Rock Hill-Florence
Bryan Wilson (West Florence, 2005, attends Francis Marion) was the top position player on the field in this game. He swung the bat from the left side, ran well (3.92 on a bunt) and floated to every fly ball near centerfield.
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College of Charleston-bound infielder Barrett Kleinknecht (West Florence, 2006), left, made his presence felt as well. He made play after play with solid arm strength at shortstop though he projects as a third baseman. He also showed some pull-side juice, and plenty of it. In past viewings he’d shown a backside approach and swing; today Kleinknecht showed why he may be able to hit in the middle of the Cougar line-up.
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Trey Lynch (South Florence, 2006, signed with Erskine) showed juice in his bat and has good quarterback skills behind the dish to go along with solid arm strength.
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Future Coastal Carolina right-hander Phillip Mozingo (West Florence, 2006) departed early in this one. He was 85-86, touching 87 in the first with a curveball that was 69-70. Mozingo appeared tired. In my previous viewings, he showed more arm strength, a better breaking ball and more command.
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Bradley Byrd (Camden Military Institute, 2006, signed with VMI) started on the mound for Rock Hill and was 86-87 out of the chute but did not miss many Florence barrels.
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Left-hander Cam Walters (Northwestern, 2007) worked in relief and pitched at 83-84 bumping 86. His breaking ball is solid and he throws it for strikes. He showed good stuff in this outing but his fate would be similar to Byrd’s as Florence continued to hit.
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Austin Smetana (West Florence, 2007) impressed during the pre-game with a strong arm from rightfield.
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Payne Parker (South Florence, 2006, signed with Erskine) worked at 79-81 in relief and showed pitch-ability with some deception.
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Other players of note: Josh Salay (Rock Hill, 2006, signed with Winthrop) and John Taylor (Wilson, 2007)…
Greenwood-Gaffney
Brandon Miller (Emerald, 2007, committed to South Carolina), right, 
was just half of the match-up of quality southpaws in this one…He rolled through hitters for the first four innings with a fastball that sat at 88-89, touching 91 early on. His secondary stuff worked well too, his curveball was 75-76 to go along with a plus change-up that was 74-75 and may be his best off-speed pitch. His delivery had some effort and he has a tendency to peel off his breaking ball. It appeared in the fifth inning Miller “gave in.” Staked to a four-run lead, when it was cut in half, his velocity dropped to 80-82 and I didn’t sense the same intensity. Stuff-wise Miller showed all the ingredients of a guy who should demand plenty of pro attention in the spring.
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Gaffney left-hander Robbie Wilkins (Gaffney, 2005, attends USC-Salkehatchie) struggled early before settling in to cruise through the middle innings. His command got him in trouble in the first two frames but still featured arm strength. His fastball sat at 85-86, touching 87 frequently. Basically a one-pitch guy, Wilkins showed a curveball (76-77) and change-up (76-77) but relies primarily on his fastball.
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Greenwood catcher Trey Wimmer (Greenwood, 2008), left, gives all the early indications of a kid who has a bright future in the game. I’d seen him in the spring and liked him a ton defensively. On Wednesday, he showed that it may be his bat that will generate the most interest from colleges. Big and strong, Wimmer has bat speed and raw power, as evidenced by his blast over the scoreboard at Riley Park. He plays hard and has tools, coaches must place him high atop their list of catchers to see.
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Trevin Taber (Chesnee, 2006, signed with USC-Upstate) showed good gap power to both allies and just missed leaving the park twice. He appeared adequate on routine plays at third base but a move to the corner on the other side of the infield may be forthcoming. For a big guy, Taber turned in good times on both of his turns, 4.64 and 4.69.
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Dusty Mabry (Broome, 2006, signed with Spartanburg Methodist) had one good at bat after another and seemed to be in the middle of everything offensively for Gaffney. He swings the bat well from the left-side and is very serviceable in the outfield.
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Josh Lovvorn (Emerald, 2007) has an injured throwing arm and was unable to catch on this night but did show some bat speed and quality running times (4.20 and 4.28) as Greenwood’s designated hitter. Lovvorn, when healthy, is one of the top backstops in the 2007 class.
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Nick Milford (Anderson College) had very productive day out of the nine-hole for Greenwood. He showed some line-drive pop and ran the bases hard.
Other players of note: Justin Sarratt (Gaffney, 2006, signed with Clemson), Kyle Behrendt (Greenwood, 2006, signed with Wofford) and John Lewis Floyd (Broome, 2006, signed with Spartanburg Methodist)…
Murrells Inlet-Sumter
Sumter lefty Matt Talley (Wilson Hall, 2007), right, made this assignment look like a walk in the park. He punched out five of the first six hitters and never worked into trouble over his five innings of work. Talley was 85-86 from start to finish and punched several 88’s along the way. After two first innings walks, Talley settled in and pumped strikes and worked quick. His curveball was serviceable at 65-72, it lacked a clean break but was in the zone. No third pitch was evident during the game. He comes at you with a mid-3/4 slot with some arm-side life on his fastball. His delivery is simple and has a Steve Avery arm swing and falls slightly toward third base after release but stays on the ball well. Talley is 6-5/195 with arm strength which makes him a name to know.
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Outfielder Allen Caldwell (Sumter, 2006, signed with Spartanburg Methodist) may just be the purest hitter in the 2006 graduated class. Very disciplined with power to both fields and swings it well in clutch situations. Caldwell was the MVP of last year’s state tournament and may be well on his way to being a repeat winner after a six RBI effort on Wednesday capped by an opposite-field bomb over the Riley Park scoreboard. And that’s not all. He also sports a plus college rightfield arm and cruises to balls hit in all four directions. He’s also mid-80’s on the mound with big-time pitch-ability. Caldwell is a good player and should remain on the minds of four-year schools when he completes his term at SMC.
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Richard Jones (Wilson Hall, 2006, signed with The Citadel) entered the tourney with 16 homeruns. It was apparent he’d see nothing to hit in the game while the score was close. Three unintentional/intentional walks required patience on Jones’ part. When he finally had an opportunity to hit, the score was 13-0 and he laced a ball against the wall in right. Jones showed a very good arm during the pre-game. He carries himself like a ball player and looks like he’s got a bright future in the Bulldog uniform versus Southern Conference pitching.
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Greg Lamb (Lakewood, 2006, signed with Florence-Darlington Tech) was an offense-first, defense-optional guy in my mind before Wednesday. He can hit and will hit…but he also may be a plus second baseman as well. He made two sparkling plays going to his left during the game after turning in a solid performance in pre-game infield. Lamb, too, is a name for colleges to remember in two years.
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Tyler Capplemann (Sumter, 2006, signed with Spartanburg Methodist), left, remains the catalyst for Sumter. His throwback approach to the game makes him fun to watch. Defensively he gets the job done and also pitches. Capplemann turned in a 4.23 and 4.3 getting down the line on balls he slapped the other way. He should be a valuable part of SMC’s team in the field and on the mound over the next two years.
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Nick Tennant (Socastee, 2006, signed with USC-Salkehatchie) stood out during the Murrells Inlet pre-game. He has a good build and strong arm from the outfield, he handles the bat as well. Versus a tough lefty in Talley, Tennant, also left-handed, took good swings and appeared unphased. In his first AB he doubled off the wall in rightfield, it appears he has some pop in his bat.
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Kurt Petty (Socastee, 2007) showed the ability to throw three pitches for strikes in all counts though this night would bring a quick exit for the right-hander. He was 84-85, with a 66-68 MPH curveball and showed a very good change-up that was 74-76.
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Other players of note: Cory Prescott (Lakewood, 2007, signed with Spartanburg Methodist), Tony Micklon (Sumter, 2008), Matt Price (Sumter, 2008) and Thomas Sheehan (Myrtle Beach, 2007, signed with Florence-Darlington Tech)…
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Web Gems: Top plays throughout the day were turning in by Bryan Wilson (Florence), Keith Hill (Greenwood), Dusty Mabry (Gaffney), Justin Strauss (Richland) and Greg Lamb (Sumter)-twice!
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Beyond the Box Score: The throw of the day, no-brainer…Allen Caldwell’s (Sumter) throw to third base on a tag attempt at second. If you were there, you remember the play. It was medium-range fly ball to right, Caldwell got behind the ball perfectly, recorded the out and unleashed a frozen rope to third base right on the bag. The runner did not advance and you’ll find no record of it in the scorebook but it brought about quite stir from a jam-packed Riley Park!
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Straight up the chimney: Gaffney head coach Jeff Osment, after swinging a plus fungo during the infield/outfield portion, topped off the round in perfect fashion with a ‘catcher’s pop’ done the right way. He took a healthy cut, centered the ball and dropped it right in the circle…by the time it was caught, Osment had departed the field and was in the dugout. Job well-done!
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