2020 Boiling Springs Bulldogs SoftballThe Boiling Springs Bulldogs softball team enters the 2020 season with a lot of high expectations as the team will be returning seven of out of nine starters from last season's team including three All-Region players. "We're really excited about this year coming off last season," said Bulldogs head coach Randy Piazza. "Last year we were relatively young but halfway through the season we won six out of our last seven region games got into the playoffs and had a good run there as well. The good news for us is that the majority of last year's team is returning." A key factor for Boiling Springs this season is they will return their pitching and catching combination as All-Region junior pitcher Olivia Hall as well as All-Region junior catcher Ragan Bristol will be returning to lead the pitching attack for the Bulldogs. While the combination have a lot of experience mowing down batters for the Bulldogs they also play on the same travel ball team which has only grown the trust each player has for the other when battling in games. "We play travel ball together so we have grown up playing on the same team together," said Bristol. "We have that mindset where you trust me and I trust you. We try to communicate to each other what's working and what isn't without allowing the batter an opportunity to realize what we're trying to throw them." Hall reiterated that playing on the same team together all these years has helped her know exactly what pitch Bristol will call during the game. "When I'm catching a rhythm with my pitches it gives me a tremendous confidence knowing what she's going to call," said Hall. "I know that when I hit my spot that the ball is going to go where it's supposed to and our defense will take care of making the play." While Hall will be the Bulldogs primary pitcher Coach Piazza is also excited about his other pitching options left hander Hailey Owens and eighth-grader Bri Stanley, who also was named All-Region last season, that will only add depth to the Bulldogs pitching throughout the season. "We have Olivia, Bri, and Hailey that will all contribute to the team this season from the circle at some point,' said Piazza. "Having different options at the pitching spot to show other teams can really cause the other team problems and I wouldn't be scared to throw any of our three pitchers against anyone." Owens and Stanley will also see time at first base as well as other positions on the team throughout the season. The only two positions that the Bulldogs will not see starters returning is third base where they look to replace Grace McKinney, who is starting for Converse this season, and at centerfield where they will have to replace Zoey Stewart. While the Bulldogs were young last season they still are young this season as they only return one senior in right fielder Abbie Threatt who recently committed to play college softball at Union College next season. The Bulldogs will compete once again in Region II-5A, which is considered by most people to be the toughest softball region in the state of South Carolina, and the their goal is the same as always to once again compete for the region crown to set themselves up for a good spot in the 5A playoffs. "You always want to get one of those top two spots because it keeps you from having to go on the road early in the playoffs," said Piazza. "It's big to be up there at the top of this region and I'd have to say I'd be disappointed if we weren't one of the teams competing for one of those spots this season." Boiling Springs has a lot of lofty goals this season but pitcher Olivia Hall broke down their expectations to a very simple explanation. "Our goal this season is to win, win, win," said Hall. "And then we back that up by winning again." The Bulldogs will kick off their regular season on March 10 in a home matchup against the Gaffney Indians. 2020 Boiling Springs Bulldogs BaseballWhen baseball season begins every season it usually comes with some lofty goals for the Boiling Springs Bulldogs and the 2020 season will be no different as they enter the season as the preseason number four team in the SC 5A baseball polls. While expectations are high for the Bulldogs from outside sources with the rankings, Boiling Springs head coach Jeff Lipscomb says that his expectations are to have his team come out each game and compete. "My expectations are for these guys to come out and compete a lot better than we did last year," said Lipscomb. "Last year we were ranked higher than we are this year and we felt like we could just show up and beat people. You can't be like that and we have preached to them this offseason you have to come into every game and be ready to compete each game. We told them since the final game was over last year that this year was going to be different and we've worked hard this offseason." The Bulldogs finished last season with a 13-9 overall record with a 9-7 region record coming out of one of the strongest baseball regions in the state, Region II-5A, and will look to improve on that record this season. Boiling Springs will be returning four starters from last season and feel confident that the mixture of veterans and youth will be a strong point for the team this season. While the expectations for the coach are for his team to compete each night the players have a few loftier expectations and look to back up the preseason hype. "I think our main intention is to win state this year," said senior Aaron Thomas, a Wofford baseball commit. "Its been our goal since we started in the program and we want to end our time in the program on top." Thomas' thoughts were backed up by fellow senior Mason Foy who added, "Our goal is the same as every year, to win state." In the early part of the season the Bulldogs think that their biggest strength of their team will be their pitching staff which helped lead them to win the IP Classic in Georgetown, SC last season. One of the key members of that pitching staff will be senior Ben Hutchins, a Citadel baseball commit, who came home with the MVP award from the IP Classic last season. Hutchins will be joined on the Bulldogs pitching staff this season by fellow senior Mason Foy as well as junior Will Holmes along with sophomores Tristan Smith and Ashton Smith. Hutchins believes that if the Bulldogs will stick to the plan of competing each night they can reach their ultimate goal. "If we just take it one pitch at a time and compete every night we can reach our final goal of the state championship," said Hutchins. "We loss a lot of games late last year by one and two runs. We just got to compete more and execute better in those final innings." At the plate the Bulldogs will be counting on the experience of seniors Hutchins and Thomas as well as from Vance Wagner and Davis Starnes. They also expect to get a lot of production from newcomers Avery Stuart, Jimmy Rosegrant, and Will Holmes. Boiling Springs coach Jeff Lipscomb says that he is excited about the upcoming season and what this team of Bulldogs can accomplish. "The expectations for the 2020 season are high," said Lipscomb. "Each player has put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason and I feel like it will pay off in a very tough and competitive region. All this offseason we have put in the work to be mentally tougher this season and you need that with the region that we play in and the non-region schedule that we play. Hopefully at the end of the day we'll be there in the end." Boiling Springs will start the regular season on March 10 when they host Gaffney but prior to that they will look to repeat their performance from last season at the IP Classic in Georgetown from March 5th to March 8th. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys LacrosseThe Boiling Springs boy's lacrosse team will enter the 2020 season looking to use their experience from last season and look to have an exciting season improving on their fifth place finish in the region last year. "The 2020 season looks to be an exciting run for the team," said Bulldogs head coach Justin Mills. "We're going to be returning several key players on both sides of the ball." One reason for the Bulldogs to be excited this season is that they will be bringing back nine starters from last season, five from offense and four on defense, and two of those players will be returning All-State player Conner Bates and second team All-Upperstate player Micha Oslund. Bates was not only named All-State but also was named All-Region first team and the Upperstate faceoff player of the year after having a .753% at the faceoff X. Bates will be joined on the offensive attack by Micha Oslund, a Lander lacrosse commit, who compiled thirty goals and five assists in 2019. Bates and Oslund will be joined in the offensive attack by fellow returners Mathias Oslund, Riley Alfonso, Luke Olsen, and Jayden McIntyre. On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be led by Eli Byrd, a Mars Hill commit, who accumulated fifty-three ground balls last season. Byrd will be joined on the defensive side by fellow returners Adam Dulske and Ethan Westall. The Bulldogs will also look to build on their outstanding play from last season in the cage from their goalies Andrew Hollifield and Jake Lipscomb. With many starters returning from last year the Bulldogs will get look to get key contributions from sophomores Ethan Westall, Mathis Oslund, and Micah Horton. With so much returning talent coming back the Bulldogs are looking forward to the community coming out and joining them on their journey this season. "It's going to be an exciting season," said Mills. "Come on out and support the lacrosse team as we make this run in 2020." 2020 Boiling Springs Girls LacrosseThe Boiling Springs girls lacrosse team goes into the 2020 season with a young team but with lots of quality leadership that the team hopes will help it improve on their record from last season. The Bulldogs finished last year with a 4-11 record but with a new crop of players joining the team they hope to improve on that record as the popularity of the sport in the state continues to increase as well. "We have a young team this season but our leadership is strong," said Bulldogs head coach Michelle Lockwood. "We are extremely lucky to have hard working athletes who will set a positive example for the younger players." The Bulldogs will have four returning starters including All-Region selection from last year Tori Rochester. They will also look to get key contributions from returners Madelyn Robinson, Kylie Bridges, Mary Bartell, and Sara Patton who they hope will form a strong leadership nucleus for the Bulldogs. With the team being very young the Bulldogs will be looking to get some key minutes from a lot of newcomers including Brianna Mitchell, Brooke Dimery, Sarah Garner, Emily Kang, and Paula Melton. While the Bulldogs roster will be full of a mixture of new players and returning players so will Coach Lockwood's coaching staff this season as she will have a returning assistant coach along with a brand new assistant coach this season. "I am excited about our coaching staff as well," said Lockwood. "We have coach Melissa Greenlee returning again this season while we have also added coach Kirk Minton to our team this year." While there will be a lot of unknowns going into the 2020 season for the Bulldogs, it is a season that they are really looking forward to this year. "We're looking forward to this season," said Lockwood. "We are eager to see what the Bulldogs can accomplish this season." 2020 Boiling Springs Boys GolfWhen the 2020 season starts the Boiling Springs golf team will be looking to claim their fifth state championship and with all their players returning from last season the Bulldogs hope that's exactly how the upcoming season will end. "These young men have been working hard in the offseason and been really competitive in South Carolina junior golf," said Bulldogs head coach Josh Pruitt. "I fully expect to contend for our fifth state title this season." The Bulldogs finished last season in third place at the region tournament and backed that up with a seventh place finish in the state tournament. The Bulldogs oldest player last season was a sophomore and their seventh place finish at the state tournament was led by eighth grader Andrew Gregory who finished tied for twelfth place in the individual competition. Boiling Springs hopes that another year at the varsity level will only help to improve the performance of Gregory, Zach Phillips, Davis Hill, Easton Keller, and Walker Greene as they work towards another state championship. "In 2020 I look to see a more mature and experienced team this season, while still young, compete to win at every event," said Pruitt. "We have a difficult tournament schedule and are in a tough region. However, this will help us to continue to grow and be more competitive in the postseason." Boiling Springs will play two preseason competitions at Carolina Country Club and Greenville Country Club before starting their regular season on March 9th in the Rebel Invitational to be held at River Falls Country Club. 2020 Boiling Springs Girls SoccerThe Boiling Springs girls soccer team have some high expectations for the 2020 season with fourteen upperclassmen returning from last year's team and they hope that experience can lead the team to their first ever region championship. "We're looking to take the next step in accomplishing our goals in 2020," said Bulldogs head coach Jonathan Burnett. "Last season we had a lot of memorable moments and we hope to build on those." Last season the Bulldogs won ten plus games for the second straight year in a row including winning the championship at the York High School tournament and defeating eventual co-region champion Riverside 1-0. In a very tough soccer region the Bulldogs earned the fourth playoff seed from the region where they fell to Fort Mill. This season the Bulldogs return three All-Region players and bring back a lot of experience on both sides of the ball. On defense the Bulldogs return All-Region goalkeeper Cora Brendle and All-Region defender Elaine Sprinkle while in the midfield they return All-Region midfielder Kate Johnson along with midfielders Aiaina Brown, and McKenna Wilson. On the offensive end the Bulldogs will also return Sami Ewing and Skylar Young. Even with fourteen upperclassmen the Bulldogs will expect to get lots of contributions from their underclassmen if they are going to accomplish their goals for this season. Boiling Springs will start their regular season at the Viking Cup in Spring Valley where they earned an invitation to participate in the tournament that boasts the top 32 teams, no matter of class, in the state of South Carolina. After the tournament the Bulldogs will enter right into region play where they travel to take on Byrnes. "Our hopes of a very first ever region championship are as strong as ever this season provided we play our best every game," said Burnett. "We will get a good test out of the gate at the Viking Cup as we'll open the tournament repeat state champions JL Mann." The Viking Cup will start the Bulldogs regular season and will be held from February 28 - March 1 at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys SoccerThe Boiling Springs boys soccer team will look to make it to the playoffs in the 2020 season after falling just a game short last season and will have new leadership to help lead them there as the team welcomes a new coach this season. The Bulldogs return three seniors this season including last season's defensive player of the year Anthony Ruiz, goalkeeper Jason Murray, and Victor Valdivia. They hope that the experience of these seniors will help lead the Bulldogs in a very tough region season. Boiling Springs will also be led by new coach Jack Underwood who is an alumni of the school and has lots of coaching experience at the club levels. The Bulldogs look to compete once again this season in a very tough region and hope to be a part of the 5A playoffs when the regular season ends this year. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys TennisThe Boiling Springs tennis team will look to continue the growth they started last season and build on that in the 2020 season. "In the 2020 season I expect for our team to continue growing in each individual position," said Bulldogs head coach Caleb Weathers. "We also look to continue in growth in competitiveness in the region which is arguably one of the best in the state." The Bulldogs will have to replace All-Region number one player from last season Joey Wert as well as Paul Owen who was their number three player from last season. As far as replacing Wert, the Bulldogs will have number two player from last season Clayton Elder stepping up to lead a young and competitive Bulldogs team. "We have a large and competitive team coming back this year," said Weathers. "Clayton Elder brings a range of experience to this team." Boiling Springs will start their season on March 5th and March 7th as they co-host a preseason tournament, the Sparkle City Invitational, with Byrnes High School. They will also compete once again in the two day Furman Invitation tournament at Furman University. "This team has a lot of potential," said Weathers. "I am excited to see what all we accomplish by April." 2020 Boiling Springs Track And FieldThe Boiling Springs track team will look to build on a twenty-second place finish at the 5A state tournament last season as they enter the 2020 season.
Boiling Springs track will be under new leadership this season as Wenzler Butler takes over control of both programs. He has served as a coach at USC-Upstate, where he helped build the program to national recognition, and is now taking over his third high school program (with stints at Greenville High and Spartanburg Day) all of which he led to multiple region championships and runner-up finishes at the state championships. The Bulldogs will be strong in their long distance events this season as they return four seniors in Jake Skory, Nathan Fish, Kendall Little, and Josh Steadman who they believe will form a strong 4X400 relay team as well as strong leadership on this year's team. These runners will look to replace the contributions that the Bulldogs got from Kade Gosnell last season. They will also look to get key contributions from juniors Trey Bailey and Ethan Rennels. Rennels will lead the team in discus and shot put where he made the state qualifying meet last season. Bailey will lead the team in long jump, triple jump, and high jump this season. With the graduation of a lot of sprinters from last season, including current Limestone runner Caden Peeler, the Bulldogs will look to a lot of young runners to step up and contribute this season for the Bulldogs. The boys team will look to be in the mix all season long as they plan to be competing for a top three spot in the county and region meets this season. "With the sprints being the youth of our team but a very competitive group," said Bulldogs head coach Wenzell Butler. "The team will rely heavily on the experience of the distance, jumps, and throwing squads especially early." The girls side of the program will be a team to watch in the 2020 season as the team had fourteen different athletes advance to the state qualifier meet in five different events. They will be looking for young athletes to step up and replace the leadership of Madyson Coombs and Jada Wilson who they loss to graduation last season. The Boiling Springs girls will be counting on senior Kaihah Sctott to help lead the sprinters group along with sophomore Tautyunna Littlejohn. In the distance events they will look to sophomore Emily Sen who has improved her times in the 1600 and 3200 events this offseason. Junior Taylor Lockett will be competing in a lot of events for the Bulldogs this season as she competes in five different events including the 200, 400, and high jump. They will also look to get some key contributions from a newcomer to the team but a name familiar to Bulldogs basketball fans as senior Arissa Edwards will join the Bulldogs track team running sprints this season. "Arissa joining the track team could be huge for the team," said Butler. "She's a very powerful runner in the 100 and 200m that will add even more depth to the Lady Bulldogs sprint squad." They will look to be competitive in the county and region meets this year as the team is deep as it have ever been. They will look for a lot of young athletes to score points early and build confidence for the team as they battle towards their ultimate goal of the State Championship Meet. Comments are closed.
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