Page 803 – Diamond Prospects

Recap: Northwestern Trojans at AC Flora Falcons

By: Sterling Dye – February 17, 2009 DP was in Columbia on a chilly Tuesday night to catch the reigning Class AAA Upper State champs in action as they played host to a solid Northwestern club. This one went back and forth a couple of times and had more of a regular season feel than a scrimmage in mid-February. Northwestern got on t… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password

Recap: Andrews Yellow Jackets at St. James Sharks

By: Joey Haug – February 17, 2009 Temperatures dipped into the mid-30’s Tuesday evening as the Andrews Yellow Jackets stung the St. James Sharks by a mark of 7-1 in their preseason scrimmage. The cold weather wasn’t enough to slow Andrews sophomore second baseman Dillon McConnell, who provided all the offense the Jacket pitching staff wo… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Scrimmages-Keep it in Perspective

By: Austin Alexander – February 17, 2009 The scrimmage season is in full bloom as clubs everywhere are readying themselves for the upcoming campaign. Tryouts may have ended weeks ago but starting jobs are still up for grabs, pitchers are easing their arms and array of pitches into form, all while coaches sit back and evaluate the strength’s and weaknesses of their clubs. So why in the world do we put so much stock in the outcomes of a scrimmage game? Sure, DP installed a Scoreboard to post scores for these scrimmages and it has been interesting to view some of these outcomes. (Truth be told, the idea to introduce the scoreboard before the season initially stemmed from an attempt to reduce requests of final scores!) But beware of reading too much into the final scores of a scrimmage. Liken it to that of a Spring Training game and Spring Training Standings for that matter. Ever been to a Spring Training game or watched one on television? If you are lucky, the names you know may get one at bat or two then exit the stage for uniform numbers that resemble a Bingo board. These scores and standings are often a better representation of which organization has the brightest farm system. High school scrimmages are the prep version of the exact same thing. It is an opportunity for coaching staff’s to get an extended look at the backend of his rotation and bench while mixing and matching different line-ups to find the right fit. Scrimmages are full of low pitch counts, players are shuttled on and off the field, some teams bat more than nine guys and pitchers are often restricted to less than their full arsenal of pitches. Kids play out of position, many times no umpire is present and innings can often be shut down with two outs because the last scheduled pitcher that night can’t finish his frame. Just enjoy the scrimmage season for what it is, a simple dress rehearsal before the big show begins. But don’t completely lose your zest for winning and distaste in losing, because the real deal is right around the corner!

Region Standings Announcement

Diamond Prospects to produce weekly Region Standings in 2009! This spring, DP expands our coverage of prep baseball in South Carolina by offering coaches, parents and players the opportunity to relay their region and overall records to us to post on the website. We have plans to update region standings every week but we need your help to track every single conference statewide. The dates for submission are: March 16, March 22, March 30, April 6 & April 13 Please email Will Cheatham at: [email protected] -We will accept standings/records from coaches, parents and players, BUT be 100% sure that the information that you are submitting is accurate. -If each conference wants to designate one person or school to be responsible for reporting on behalf of the entire region, that would be DP’s preference. DP will not accept submitted records after noon each Monday. -This is a very time consuming project for DP and a tremendous opportunity for our viewers to keep up with baseball across South Carolina, we sincerely ask that this feature not be abused with inaccurate info. Diamond Prospects is always trying to find new ways to bring top-notch coverage to our audience, we hope that the 2009 Region Standings will be one more way to celebrate high school baseball in our state! To view the link of our Standings, click here.

DP’s Pre-Season Invite/Scout Day: Boiling Springs Site

By: Nick Nickles-February 14, 2009 Talent overflowed at DP’s 8-Team Scrimmage/Scout Day in Boiling Springs on Saturday. A posse of scouts, rival high school coaches, passionate fans of Boiling Springs and respected team fans filled up the venue for an outstanding day of baseball. Ten pitchers would prove to be 88 or better and four guys touched 90 and even an unsigned senior appeared on the radar throwing 86. There was something for all baseball people with this display of talent. The players kept rolling out and DP put tabs on all of the prospects. The top bolt on the day was 93 MPH and the fastest 60 time was 6.53! Now it is time to break down the events of the day! -Game Summary- Game 1: Hillcrest 13 Gaffney 5 Hillcrest thrashed out 18 hits led by Dominique Anderson and Cameron Yost who each tallied three hits apiece. The Hillcrest staff would be stingy on Saturday only allowing 2 hits through the first 6 innings of play. The Rams overcame an early 3-1 deficit by posting 15 hits in the final 4 innings. Game 2: Riverside 9 Laurens 1, 7 innings A new Head Coach present in Mark Kish but the same Riverside type of results. Wil Leathers collected two hits and Kevin Cantrell homered for the Warriors. Matt Pegler’s (right) stuff looked very promising as well as the other six pitchers that threw 84 MPH or better on the day for Riverside. Game 3: T.L. Hanna 19 Dorman 5 Wow! If there has ever been such thing as an upset in a scrimmage, this lopsided event would have to be near the top. Hanna assaulted Dorman pitching, and their pitching controlled the potent Dorman lineup. Brandon Herring paced the Yellow Jackets with 3 hits and 2 stolen bases and Garret Boulware added 3 hits as well in the winning effort. Game 4: Boiling Springs 19 J.L. Mann 3 Jeff Lipscomb’s kids always come ready to fight every inning and win. Taylor Hollifield, Hunter Rice and Cameron Holmes lead the offensive charge and combined to drive in 8 runs against Mann. This one got out of hand early for J.L. Mann following a slew of walks and back-to back 6-run innings in the 4th and 5th innings. -Hillcrest Rams- The Rams are not flashy, but they can be quite dangerous. They run several low 80’s pitchers to the mound with pitchability led by junior Shane Thurston. Dominique Anderson is the sparkplug to the offense and their 2 through 6 hitters presents no easy outs. All nine starters recorded a hit in the scrimmage. Hillcrest will throw a loop into Region-II 4A before its over this season. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Phillip Worthington Sr 7.25 Andrew Potts Jr 7.44 Shane Thurston Jr 7.36 Trey Tuten Sr 7.57 Zach McAllister Jr 7.45 Marshall Moore Jr 7.59 James Abercrombie Sr 7.53 Trayce Rogers Jr 7.49 Johnathan Jones Jr 7.40 Cameron Jones Jr 7.10 Dominique Anderson Sr 6.97 Zachary Morgan Jr 7.40 Keith Orr Sr 7.27 Ryan Short Jr 8.18 Perry Case Jr 7.89 Pitchers Name Grade R/L FB CB CH Shane Thurston Jr R 80-82 arm-side run 69 73-75 sinks Ryan Short Jr R 80-81 67-68 Perry Case Jr R 80-82 64-66 sharp breaker 71-73 Top Prospects Rank Name Class Pos Scout Notes 1 Kirk Shelley Jr C Shelley can hit at a premium position. He’s good for a rip a game 2 Dominique Anderson Sr OF Athletic OF, aggressive with some pop, solid feel for the game 3 Cameron Yost Sr SS Can pick it in the INF, solid left-handed bat with plenty of experience 4 Zach McAllister Jr OF Battling the injury bug, but has flashed signs of promise at the plate over the last year 5 Trace Rogers Jr INF High school version of Marcus Giles -Gaffney Indians- Gaffney is a solid group that is favored to win Region-III 4A. They will be led by junior Tyler Wilson (right) on the mound, and they will need Bobby Jackson to regain the promise he showed at the Palmetto Games in August to make a serious run in the playoffs. This group has a lot of experience, and they have high expectations for their club in 2009. 60’s Name Grade Time Matt Lester Sr 7.6 Michael Wright Fr 7.69 McCrae Norton Sr 7.20 Bo Davidson Sr 7.62 Bubba Wright Sr – Bobby Jackson Sr 7.70 Michael Hughey Sr 7.52 Bradley Ruppe Sr 7.6 Jared Mills So 7.5 Thomas Goode Sr 7.53 Tyler Wilson Jr 7.62 John Michaels Sr 7.43 Nick Mabry Sr 7.35 Josh Matta Fr 7.71 Cameron Culp Sr 7.17 Pitchers Name Class R/L FB BB CH Tyler Wilson Jr RHP 88-91 heavy w/life 74-77 77-78 +pitch today Bobby Jackson Sr RHP 81-84 67-72 71-78 Cameron Culp Sr RHP 81-84 72-73 70-71 Michael Wright Fr RHP 82-85 69-70 71-72 Top Prospects Rank Name Class Scout Notes 1 Tyler Wilson Jr Big bodied, strong arm kid blessed with a low-90’s fastball. He should attract serious pro attention this summer and next season 2 Josh Matta Fr He’s very comfortable with a bat in his hands, and has a chance to be a top flight hitter 3 Bobby Jackson Sr He’s missing some velo and that’s a slight cause for concern for the Indians. 4 Michael Wright Fr A 2012 showing some velo early in his career 5 Cameron Culp Sr 6’3” long and lean frame gives him a chance to become better down the road 6 John Michaels Sr Athletic frame with power should benefit from concentrating on just baseball in college -Laurens Raiders- Travis Burnside and Dre Watts (right) are finally seniors, but Laurens has continued to graduate solid players over the past two years that helped take the load off the two stars. Laurens is young in areas and they will need to gain experience quickly. Burnside really struggled on the mound and Laurens will have to have him in old form to contend. At the end of the day, Laurens will …

DP’s Pre-Season Invite/Scout Day: Conway Site

By: Austin Alexander – February 14, 2009 After a week of flawless weather and temps in the 70’s, we were forced into an ‘iffy’ radar that created some preliminary concern over playing conditions. But we started on time, suffered no delays and the day went off without a hitch as six teams converged on Conway High School Saturday for part of Diamond Prospects’ Valentine’s Day doubleheader. Just looking at the resume that was set to roll in, we had three teams ranked in the Top 5 of their respective classifications and Diamond Prospects’ top junior in Wando’s Drew Cisco (right) and #1 sophomore Shon Carson (left) of Lake City. We also were privy to a viewing of arguably the top unsigned senior in Dillon’s Travis Murphy. Oh by the way, elite players who are also nationally ranked and were on hand, Conway senior Colby Holmes and Wando’s power-hitting ’09 Daniel Aldrich. While the exploits of the aforementioned standouts did not disappoint, it was the bat of Wando sophomore Connor Bright and the arm of Carolina Forest senior Josh Knab that turned in, perhaps, the best performances of the day. -Game Summary- Game 1: Carolina Forest 7 Dillon 2 Carolina Forest jumped out front early with a 5-run first inning, paced by Justin Turbeville and Travis Parker on two RBI singles by both. Josh Knab (right) was dominant in his two innings as the Panther starter. Game 2: Wando 19 Socastee 0, 8 innings The Warriors unloaded for 10 runs in the first inning on a pair of homers by Connor Bright (left) and a 2-run shot by Robbie Dodds. They never looked back as five Wando pitchers kept Socastee at bay. Game 3: Conway 17 Lake City 9, 8 innings A see-saw affair for the balance of the nightcap turned a bit sloppy when the sun began to set. Conway’s Michael Frazier and Cannon Jordan turned in big night’s with the bat as the Tigers late surge turning this affair into a convincing victory. ———————————————– -Lake City Panthers- The Panthers have athletes galore, are well-coached and can grind out at bats. Plenty of speed graces the Lake City line-up, led by sophomore sensation Shon Carson, who turned in a 6.37/60 on a side field Saturday and he spent eight innings showing off his array of skills. Two seniors have already signed to play at the next level, Shane Miles (Charleston Southern) and Reggie Weatherford (Spartanburg Methodist), pictured right. Question marks on the mound will be something that skipper Jason Cook will deal with for balance of the season and could eventually determine what kind of playoff run they make. 60’s Name Class 60 Shon Carson So 6.37 Shane Miles Sr 6.84 Devan Barr Jr 7.22 Andrew Hall So 7.78 Sheldon Robinson Jr 6.69 Brice James Sr 7.40 Reggie Weatherford Sr 6.87 Michael Hyman Jr 6.84 Patrick Floyd Jr 7.70 Elliott Braxton Sr 7.09 Tyler McClam Jr 7.94 Justin Owens Fr 7.69 Antwon Wallace Jr 7.00 Shareef Green Fr 7.28 Zach Holt Jr 7.54 Pitchers Name Class R/L FB CB/SL CH Shane Miles Sr R 78-81 67 – Shon Carson So R 77-80 – – Zach Holt Jr R 75 68 – Justin Owens Fr R 78-79 59 – Top Prospects Rank Name Class Pos Scout Notes 1 Shon Carson So INF/OF Can really run and his speed translates on the basepaths and in the field; Serious bat-speed and power with a very high ceiling 2 Shane Miles Sr OF Improved bat with some pop and speed to go with good baseball savvy 3 Reggie Weatherford Sr INF LHH that profiles at 2B or LF; added strength to his frame will lend itself to extra base pop down the road 4 Zach Holt Jr 1B/3B Juice in bat, centered some balls in the middle of the field that had plenty of "carry"; recent transfer to Lake City will prove to be a quality pick-up 5 Sheldon Robinson Jr OF Tremendous athlete with speed and the hint that he’ll hit; like many multi-sport athletes, amount of time on baseball field will determine his ceiling 6 Elliott Braxton Sr C Very small frame but plays big; good receiver with solid and accurate arm; would be a good pick-up for smaller school needing athleticism behind the plate -Dillon Wildcats- The Wildcats overcame an early deficit on Saturday and never stopped battling as they used four arms, led by Travis Murphy (right), that should be able to pull valuable outs in 2009. Dillon is very strong up the middle defensively and has good athletes up and down the line-up. Ranked as DP’s Pre-season #1 in 2A baseball, they will need to get Jay Harrison back to form and answer some questions at shortstop when Murphy moves to the mound. Expect to see this club right in the post-season hunt again this spring. 60’s Name Class 60 Jarvis Breeden Sr 7.37 Kevin Dixon Sr 6.78 Travis Murphy Sr 6.90 Anthony Smith Sr 7.08 Pitchers Name Class R/L FB CB/SL CH Robbie Brown Jr L 80-83 – – Jay Harrison Sr R 78-80 60-61 – Travis Murphy Sr R 85-87 65-71 66-69, solid Phillip Herring Sr R 81-83 67-68 – Top Prospects Rank Name Class Pos Scout Notes 1 Travis Murphy Sr RHP Good athlete with live arm, solid CH and improving CB; Wirey frame with fastball that has been up to 90; un-signed senior with pro ability 2 Anthony Smith Sr OF Pro body and tools but very raw; more AB’s and time on the baseball field would prove huge toward his development; 3 Phillip Herring Sr C Has made big strides behind the plate, in the box and his frame has filled out; athletic catcher that can receive well and is a very accurate thrower with solid arm 4 L’Twane Thompson Sr OF LHH with flat, slashing swing that can produce backspin; knee injuries in the past have cost him AB’s but is worth a look from a school in need of some pop from the left-side 5 Robbie Brown Jr LHP Brown recovered …

Recap: White Knoll Timberwolves at Spring Valley Vikings

By: Will Cheatham – February 12, 2009 Diamond Prospects was in Columbia Thursday night to see the Timberwolves of White Knoll take on the Vikings of Spring Valley. The Timberwolves, coming off a solid 2008 performance, are looking to reload and compete for the region title in 2009. Spring Valley enters into a new region in this year and looks … The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Recap: TL Hanna Yellow Jackets at Belton-Honea Path Bears

By: Nick Nickles-February 10, 2009 DP followed the trail of scouts to Belton last night to watch the BHP Bears play host to Brooks Hall and the T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets. There was plenty of talent running around in this early season scrimmage and DP will take you there and provide the Cliff’s Notes on the prospects in early season action. … The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Bio: David List

-David List- David List began his baseball career on the little league fields of Michigan and then traveled to Michigan State as a starter in the weekend rotation, as a freshman. From there, he moved to Texas where he played at Grayson County College and refined his skills as a pitcher. List was approached to be an instructor at the Red River Ballyard in Sherman Texas where he taught lessons and coached an 18u travel team. After graduating from the junior college and transferring to Charleston Southern, an injury ensued, and List underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow. After a year of rehabilitation and throwing, it was evident that the playing career was over. List has coached for multiple programs – Summerville High School, South Aiken High School, and two summer travel programs in the state of South Carolina. He continues to provide instruction and assistance to individual players. List is currently an associate scout for the New York Yankees. Over the past four years, List has scouted games for Diamond Prospects in the West Columbia to North Augusta area. He is married to Angela and is the father of three boys: Tyler, Colten and Drew.

Recap: Colleton County at Bamberg-Ehrhardt

By: David List – February 10, 2009 Diamond Prospects got on the road on Tuesday afternoon, moving quickly to try to make it for the 4:30 start that was slated. Upon arrival, Bamberg-Ehrhardt was at the plate with the bases loaded. By the end of the first, B-E had plated four runs. B-E coach David Horton sent Zach Godley (right) to the mound fo… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.