Boiling Springs BaseballWhile the Boiling Springs baseball team lost some key seniors last season, the expectations for the Bulldogs remain high from inside the program and outside of it as well. In the preseason South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association poll, the Bulldogs enter this year ranked in the top-10 at #9 in the 5A poll, which is a familiar area for the Bulldogs baseball team. With the loss of key players to graduation last year, the Bulldogs will be looking to some of the returners to take on leadership roles from a team that won their district playoffs before falling in the Upper State playoffs while they'll also look for some of the younger players to step in and contribute early. "This season we must have some young players rise to the challenge," said Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lipscomb. "We have a good nucleus of returners but on the mound we will have inexperience." The Bulldogs will return five starters from last season that include All-Region players Jackson Cole, Hudson Wilson, and Luke Compton as well as second baseman Jackson Reel and shortstop Chancen Cole. Jackson Cole, a Clemson commit, will lead the Boiling Springs pitching staff on the mound that will also include Corbin Childers, Chancen Cole, and Jackson Reel in relief. "Jackson Cole should have a solid year on the mound," said Lipscomb. "Corbin Childers is making leaps and bounds on the mound while Chancen Cole is looking like he will be a starter also. We think Jackson Reel will also pitch a lot for us in relief throughout the year." Boiling Springs will count on some strong defense this year to help that young pitching staff and that will start with Hudson Wilson, an Anderson University commit, behind the plate at catcher. Wilson's move to the catcher position last year helped his pitching staff as they didn't have to worry so much about any base runners. In the outfield, the Bulldogs will look to Luke Compton, a Newberry baseball commit, to lead that group and help patrol the outfield this year. They will also look to get big contributions from Justin Dawkins this season. "I think we will play solid defense and hopefully will swing the bats," said Lipscomb. "We are excited for the challenge." Boiling Springs will also be returning to a familiar region this season as they return to Region II-5A to compete against fellow local schools Byrnes, Dorman, Spartanburg, and Gaffney after two years of competing against teams in the Fort Mill area. The Bulldogs will kick off their regular season in a game at St. Joseph's on March 7th at 6:00 PM. Prior to that though the Bulldogs will compete in the Steve Sanders Tournament from February 25th - 27th at Chapman High School. They will face Chapman, Hillcrest, and St, Joseph's on Friday and Saturday before playing against a team to be determined on the 27th. Boiling Springs SoftballAfter coming off an unusual season that saw the Boiling Springs softball team fall short of the playoffs, the Bulldogs have a new voice leading the program as they look to return to a place they're used to being, the 5A playoffs. Former Chesnee and USC Upstate player Hannah (Hogue) McDowell took over as the leader of the Bulldogs program this summer after the retirement of longtime coach Randy Piazza. McDowell said that the biggest change has been building a new mindset in the team, building a championship mentality that the team has bought into this year. "Our program has been hard at work with developing a state champion mindset since the onset of a new coaching staff in the summer," said McDowell. "As coaches our main focus has been investing in this program by creating high standards and developing unity through the program. The high school teams have put their trust in the process, and they have made huge strides by getting one-percent better every single day." The Bulldogs will be returning seven starters from last season including All-Region player Sayde Parris (C/3B). She'll be joined by fellow starters Morgan Hammett (CF), Emma Wilkins (LF), Bri Stanley (P/1B), Gracen Bennett (2B), Leaha Rushing (3B/C), and Chloe Osteen (OF). They'll also look to get key contributions from newcomers Abbie Wilson (Utility), Sydnee Spencer (1B/OF), and Myah Salters (MI). The opening day lineup for the Bulldogs will see Parris (C), Spencer (1B), Bennett (2B), Salters (SS), and Rushing (3B) man the infield, while Wilson (RF), Hammett (CF), and Wilkins (LF) will patrol the outfield. Bri Stanley will return as the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs while also getting key at-bats from Trey Copeland, Bri McAbee, and Chloe Osteen. "The girls have earned everything they have gotten up to this point, and the physical and mental growth the players have shown is surreal," said McDowell. "We have a strong program, with JV players that we can pull up to varsity at any time or by the end of the season. Our roster numbers are lower but our program is stronger. We have girls who have been committed from the very beginning of summer who have learned to put the team first and win together." After two years playing in a region around the Fort Mill area, the Bulldogs will return to play in Region II-5A this season against Byrnes, Dorman, Gaffney, and Spartanburg. "We are looking forward to creating a winning season and being able to prove ourselves against our opponents," said McDowell. Boiling Springs will kick off their regular season on March 6th in a road matchup at Chapman as the Bulldogs will host their first game against Mauldin on March 9th. Boiling Springs Boys GolfThe Boiling Springs boys' golf team will look to finish their 2023 season in the same way they ended the last two seasons, lifting the 5A championship trophy at the end of the two-day state tournament in May. If the boys' team wins the state championship this year, it will mark the third straight consecutive state championship for the team and the second time the team would have pulled off that feat in nine years. "While we lost two seniors last year, we will be full strength with some improved former JV players and some newcomers," said Bulldogs head coach Josh Pruitt. "We will compete in everything we play in and look to have another successful postseason run this year." Boiling Springs will be returning three starters in Andrew Gregory, Walker Ingram, and last year's individual state champion Clayton Taylor. Gregory will be entering his senior season coming off a strong junior golf season that saw him capture the number one ranking in the state after being awarded the Jay Haas Player of the Year award. With the top three spots filled with returning starters, the Bulldogs will look to fill the other two spots from a group of newcomers that include Lawson Miller, Will Waddell, Owen Rodier, and Maddux Camp. While the expectations are high for the Bulldogs within the program, the expectations are also high outside the program as they were recently named the #1 team in 5A in the South Carolina Golf Coaches Association preseason poll. Boiling Springs will kick off their regular season at the Rebel Invitational on March 6th which will be held at River Falls Plantation golf course. If the Bulldogs season goes as planned, they will hopefully be competing for a state championship in their closest spot to home in three years at the Carolina Country Club on May 15th and 16th. Boiling Springs Boys LacrosseThe Boiling Springs boy's lacrosse team is coming off their most successful season in school history and with that comes higher expectations which the 2023 team is looking forward to fulfilling. The Bulldogs will be replacing seven seniors but will also be welcoming as new head coach as Tanner Mills, who was the lead assistant last year, takes over the reins of the Boiling Springs program. He said that while the team was happy with a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year, the Bulldogs expectations are now to be playing for state championships. "We look to continue the positive trend within the program," said Bulldogs head coach Tanner Mills. "Our second-round playoff appearance last year was good but we're going to measure our success from now on by winning the last game of the year. Our new standard is to be in the state championship every single year." While the Bulldogs graduated 12 seniors last year, including five starters, the Bulldogs believe that while this team will be younger that they're going to surprise teams early and be a force to be reckoned with by the end of the year. The Bulldogs will be returning five starters from last year including All-Region players Cam Wagner and Chase Miller. Those two will be joined by fellow returning starters Lincoln Huskey, Parker Lamb, and Elijah Smith. They also look to get some key contributions from returners Javen Chhim and Campbell Johnson along with newcomers Cohen Chalk, Colby Smart, and James Harrell. "We have some of the top players in the state and we look to fill in the gaps in our roster as the year goes on," said Mills. "This team is full of passion and the boys want to bring home the first state championship for the school in the sport of lacrosse in 2023. This group will surprise people especially being a majority of 10th graders as people will underestimate them at the beginning of the season but by the end of the season will change the minds of other teams. The other teams will notice that Boiling Springs boys' lacrosse has arrived and we're here to stay." Boiling Springs will also be joining a new region this year after spending the last two years playing their region games in the Rock Hill area. The Bulldogs will be rejoining Region II-5A where they'll be competing against Byrnes, Dorman, and Spartanburg. The Bulldogs will hold scrimmages at the Upward Center on February 11th, at Hammond in Columbia on February 17th, and at home against Lake Norman Charter on February 18th before starting their regular season schedule. Boiling Springs will kickoff their regular season on February 24th in a home matchup against Charlotte Christian at 7:00 PM. Boiling Springs Girls LacrosseThe Boiling Springs girls' lacrosse team will look to find a way to close out games this year and hope that with a few changes that they can turn some close losses from last season into wins this year. "When we looked back at the 2022 season we lost eight games by less than three goals," said Bulldogs head coach Michelle Lockwood. "This season our goal is to focus on ball control on the offensive side by improving our shot selection and the installation of a more structured offense." The Bulldogs will be returning eight starters from last year's team that include All-Region selection Mia Lockwood. She will be joined by fellow starters Allie Hollified, Emma Wood, Kirsten Fisher, Brooklyn Easler, Chloe Moyers, Caroline Bishop, and Cadence Pruitt. On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be led by three-year starting goalie Allie Hollified who Coach Lockwood says has really taken on a leadership role this year. "On defense our goalie Allie Hollifield is heading into her third year and is looking outstanding," said Lockwood. "Allie's leadership has matured and she is ready to run the defense." Boiling Springs will be rejoining an old familiar reason as they move back into Region II-5A against Byrnes, Dorman, and Spartanburg which will help the Bulldogs on travel for road trips. "Our team goal is to capitalize on our new region and get our record above .500 this year," said Lockwood. Boiling Springs will kickoff their regular season on February 18th at Byrnes but will have two scrimmages against JL Mann (home on February 7th) and Riverside (away on February 9th). Boiling Springs Boys SoccerThe Boiling Springs boys' soccer team will look to improve on their strong playoff performance last year and build on it as they enter into the 2023 season with a lot of experience from last year returning. After finishing in fourth place in the region last season with some close losses in region play, the Bulldogs bounced back with an upset victory in penalty kicks over number one seed Spring Valley before falling to Dorman in the second round of the 5A playoffs in overtime on a bicycle kick goal. "We're hoping to build off of a strong 2022 season and a close loss in the second round of the state playoffs," said Bulldogs head coach Jack Underwood. "The team is a solid mix of experienced returning players with a good group of new players who are hungry for another deep run in the playoffs." The Bulldogs will be returning nine starters from last year that will start with the experience in the middle of the field. Boiling Springs will look to control the field which begins with the return of midfielders Will Poplawski, Alan Horton, and Josh Bravo. They will be joined in the midfield by Roberton Silva, Sammy Guerrero, and Erick Ramirez. On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be led by returning defenders Yonathan Gonzalez and Roger Ocampo. In the attacking side of the ball the Bulldogs will be looking to replace Christian Gonzalez, who graduated last year, with forward Valmir Bytyqi. They will also look to get key contributions from newcomers Holden Mace and Adam Henderson to help lead the Bulldogs back to the 5A playoffs. Boiling Springs will also be rejoining Region II-5A with Dorman, Byrnes, Spartanburg, and Gaffney. It will be a welcome relief for the Bulldogs after spending the last two years making road trips to the Fort Mill area. The Bulldogs will open the regular season on February 28th on the road at Laurens before hosting their first match against the Greenville Hurricane on March 6th. Boiling Springs Girls SoccerThe Boiling Springs girls soccer team is looking to improve on last year's performance that saw them make the playoffs for the first time in a couple of years. The Bulldogs finished their season with four wins for a fourth-place finish in region play that saw them advance to the 5A playoffs but drop their first-round playoff match. "The girls soccer program is making strides to become a major factor in our region," said Boiling Springs girls soccer coach Chad Kerr. "The team made the playoffs last year for the first time in quite a while and will look to continue that trend in the many years to come." Boiling Springs will return seven starters from last year's team that will be led by All-Region players in seniors Emily Vargas and Drey Nesbitt along with fellow captain Kenturah Meadows. Those three along with fellow seniors Ruby Garcia and Annlee Grace Ryan will help lead a young Bulldogs team. The Bulldogs defense will look to juniors Hannah Snyder, Morgan Baird, Madison Squires, Emma Bishop, Sarah Posey, Cailey Lindsey, and Sophie Crosby to secure the backline in front of junior goalie Natalie Trudell. They will also look to junior Alexis Kishbaugh at the forward position to score a lot of goals with the support of junior winger Ava McCaskill and sophomore midfielder Charley Kerr. Boiling Springs also looks to get contributions from freshmen Miranda Amieva, Abby Bishop, Meadow Hayes, and Hannah Sheppard who they will look to provide some depth on the attacking side of the field. "The experience of the older players along with the younger talent that the program has will put the program on the path to be something special," said Kerr. The Bulldogs will be rejoining Region II-5A this season where they'll compete against Byrnes, Dorman, Gaffney, and Spartanburg after spending the last two years competing against teams in the Fort Mill area. The Bulldogs will compete in the Viking Cup at Spring Valley from February 24th-25th in the preseason before opening regular season play at home against Greer Middle College on March 2nd. Boiling Springs Boys TennisThe Boiling Springs tennis team will go into the 2023 season looking to rebuild after losing numerous senior players last season but they feel like they have the young talent to be competitive in a tough region this season. "We are looking forward to a competitive season," said Bulldogs head coach Matt Shumate. "After losing many seniors last year, we are young, fresh, and ready to make our mark in one of the most competitive regions in the state." The Bulldogs finished in third place in their old region around the Fort Mill area last year before falling to Blythewood in the first round of the playoffs. They will now rejoin Region II-5A this season where they will compete against Byrnes, Dorman, Gaffney, and Spartanburg. Boiling Springs will return four starters from last year's team in Sam Corbitt, Preston Reese, Nathan Miller, and Ben Reese, who they will look to lead the team this year. They also hope to get key contributions from newcomers Thomas Raynor, Matthew Borders, Joseph Crocker, William Garner, and Mekhi Young. "We look to compete every single day and grow the sport of tennis throughout the community," said Shumate. "We will take advantage of this rebuilding year to focus on consistency on the court while seeing extensive progress for our team." Boiling Springs will kick off their regular season March 2nd and March 4th in the Sparkle City tournament at Byrnes High School. Boiling Springs Track and FieldAfter both team's finished in fourth place at the region meet last year, the Boiling Springs boys and girls track teams look to improve on that finish with a mixture of youth and experience returning this season along with a large number of participants on the team this year.
On the boys' side of the team, the Bulldogs will look to build on the success they had last year with a group of juniors that will be looking to prove themselves with big senior years along with a group of young runners looking to put their mark on the Bulldogs program. "The boys' team has a lot of promise with a good mixture of new and old competitors," said Bulldogs head coach Reginald Graham. "We look for the sprint, jump, and hurdle group to be pretty competitive. We also have a lot of newcomers in the thrower's group that will provide us a more competitive group and we also have some distance runners that will compete in our region." The Bulldogs will be led by returning All-State and All-Region runner Carmelo Martin along with All-Region runner Spencer Eison. They'll be joined by fellow returnees JoJo Barrett, Demarco Thomas, Jacob Sapp, and Thomas Glover. That group will be joined by newcomers Kristion Thompson, Stone Furrey, and Jeremiah Vincent. The Boiling Springs girls' team will also be looking to improve on a fourth-place finish at the region meet last year and will count on a young group of freshman and sophomores who the Bulldogs expect big things from this year. "I feel like our girls' track and field team while being very young will be very competitive throughout the season," said Graham. "We will have a solid group of sprinters that will be divided up to create competitive sprints, relays, hurdles, and jumps. I look forward to seeing the girls improve into state contenders." The Bulldogs will be led by All-Region players Sydney Watson and Cayalah Davis along with fellow returnees Julia Graham, Kaitlyn Gratee, Tatyona Burrisson, Dakota Smith, Kendall Garner, and Gabby Sanchez. They'll also look to get key contributions from newcomers Jayonna Dawkins and Joy Pinckney. Boiling Springs will kick off their season at the Frank Kleckner Invitational at Southside Christian on February 25th. They'll host their first home meet on March 8th. Comments are closed.
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