By MONTE DUTTON
Presbyterian College is headed to High Point seeking another one.
The top-seeded Blue Hose open the Big South Conference Baseball Championship on Thursday at 1 p.m. against fourth-seeded Charleston Southern (21-30). The tournament is being conducted at Truist Point in High Point, N.C., home of the local minor-league club.
The last time Presbyterian (29-25) played in High Point, it was on the HPU campus, where the Blue Hose sustained half their conference losses: 13-3, 15-7 and 10-6. Since the last game, which was played on April 21, PC is 10-4 overall and 8-1 in the Big South.
High Point (31-25), the second seed, takes on No. 3 USC Upstate (34-22) on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Three games follow on Friday. If PC wins the opener, it plays at 3 p.m. If it loses, an elimination game awaits at 11 a.m. A third game is at 7, depending on earlier results.
The championship is to be determined on Saturday, beginning at noon. If necessary, a second game follows.
PC has the advantage of being the first seed, but the Big South does not provide any first-round byes. Only four teams qualify, and playing the No. 4 seed to open is the only tangible advantage.
The Blue Hose previously swept the Buccaneers in North Charleston on May 3-5.
Being the regular-season champions, it was no surprise that the Blue Hose fared well in the Big South baseball honors.
Center fielder Joel Dragoo is the Player of the Year, Daniel Eagen is Pitcher of the Year, and Elton Pollock is Coach of the Year.
All are richly deserved.
Dragoo, from Beckville, Texas, is the first Blue Hose player to be voted Big South Player of the Year. He started all 54 regular-season games, reaching base safely in every contest, and finished as the conference’s top hitter with a .413 batting average, the lone Big South player above .400, and tied for ninth in the nation. He set school records with 17 home runs and 65 RBI.
Eagen, from Fuquay-Varina, N.C. is PC’s first Pitcher of the Year honoree and was a unanimous selection. He led the conference in strikeouts (112), earned-run average (2.55) and opponents’ average (.172).
Pollock earns his Coach of the Year award after leading the Blue Hose to the program’s first regular-season championship. PC won the outright title with its 18-6 record and won seven of the eight conference series — including four 3-0 sweeps.
Shortstop Brody Fahr, pitcher Charlie McDaniel, Dragoo and Eagen made the all-conference first team. Catcher Jackson Hugus and DH Jake Randolph made the second team. McDaniel made the academic team.
Guard Khalon Hudson, 6-6, from Augusta, Ga., is transferring to PC from Spartanburg Methodist.
Hudson averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds and shot .606 from the field for the Pioneers last season. He played on two state-championship teams at Augusta’s Westside High School.
Hudson has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Quite a few high-school superlatives have occurred recently away from diamonds.
Led by the state-champion 4×10 relay team, Clinton finished ninth at the girls’ Class 3A state meet. Mylayja Thompson, Zippora Scurry, Jada Floyd and Nahshia Wright ran it in a school-record 48.37 seconds.
Scurry was third in the 200 meters at 25.91. Thompson (12.38) was fourth and Wright (12.5) sixth in the 100.
The boys finished sixth but did not win any individual titles.
Jabari Dillard (13.99) was second in the 110 high hurdles, William Reid (9:37.15) was third in the 3,200, Dillard was third in the 200 (21.87) and fifth in the 400 hurdles (57.84).
Tre Cook, Dillard, Ke’leja Byrd and Javon Cook teamed up for third in the 4×100 relay at 41.8 seconds.
The Clinton golf team, led by Aiden Bragg’s 80, finished 11th at the 3A state tournament in Conway.
The Red Devils shot 665, tightly grouped with Bragg’s 80, Luke McMurray’s 81, Mia Carles’ 83 and Gaby Carles’ 84.
Wren won the title in a playoff against Blue Ridge.
The Laurens boys finished 13that the 4A meet in Columbia.
The 4×100 relay team – Jasiah Williams, Travija Austin, Carter Brown and TyJ Jones – finished fourth at 42.69 seconds.
Freshman Zee Simpson was third in the 400 hurdles at 55.24.
Jaden Williams jumped 44 feet, 7.75 inches to place eighth.
The Laurens girls finished 18th in their state meet, held in York.
Senior Marleah Choice picked up a fifth in the 100 hurdles, clocking in at 17.42 seconds.
Marley Benson was seventh in the pole vault at 8 feet even.
Decision time is approaching. What’s next? Do I keep doing it the way I am now? Do I amend this site? Do I continue to concentrate on local sports coverage, or do I change my priorities?
I’m thinking. I’m thinking.
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