On Tuesday, it was announced by the South Carolina Coaches Association for Women's Sports that Chesnee's Maddie Handy earned the AA Softball Player of the Year award.
"It is such an honor to receive an award as big as this,” said Handy. “It reminds me of all the hard work and dedication that I have put into this sport and this is softball’s way of rewarding me. Thank you to all of my coaches and teammates who have pushed me to be the player I am today. And thank you Chesnee softball for a great senior season, I love this sport.” "This is a major accomplishment for Handy and our entire program,” said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. “She has been with us for the last five seasons, and has worked hard to reach this point. We are proud of her." Handy closed out a stellar five year career with a strong senior season that led to her being named All-State and Region I-AA Player of the Year. She will also participate in the North/South All-Star Game on June 13th and 14th at USC Aiken as she has helped the Eagles win three straight region championships, and a pair of district championships in the last three seasons. Handy finished the season batting .397 with eleven extra base hits including a homer and 23 RBIs. In the circle, she had 15 wins with a school record 215 strikeouts and also had an impressive 12.6 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. Handy will play collegiately at North Greenville University next year. Over the last two days a number of local teams have competed at golf courses across the state in state championship golf tournaments and the teams all showed well with the Chesnee Eagles leading the way in results.
The 2A state championship tournament was held at the Newberry Country Club where the best teams in the state battled for the overall championship. Chesnee finished the state championship tournament in fifth place overall with a two-day combined score of 654, behind eventual 2A state champion Bishop England who shot a two-day total of 587. On the first day the Eagles sat in fifth place when the first round had ended with a score of 327, just fifteen shots behind the only other traditional public school Central who had a score of 312. The Eagles also trailed Bishop England (295), Oceanside Academy (296), and Gray Collegiate (308). The second day saw the Eagles backup their second-day total with a score of 327 on Tuesday as well. Creighton Rentz led the Eagles with a two-day total of 154 (74, 75) followed by Peyton Lawter (75, 85), Jake Hefner (95, 81), Hughston Johnson (87,86), and senior Jackson Ramsey (86, 94). The tournament marks the final match with the Eagles for senior Jackson Ramsey and head boys golf coach Andy Pitt. While the Eagles were battling for the 2A state championship, the Boiling Springs Bulldogs were battling at the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg for the 5A state championship. Boiling Springs had a tough day on the first day of competition falling behind twenty-seven shots to the overall leader TL Hanna. The Bulldogs rebounded on the second day but it wasn't enough as they finished in 10th place with a two-day total of 617 and were just seven shots out of sixth place behind Dorman who shot a two-day total of 610. TL Hanna won the 5A state championship with a two-day total of 580 just ahead of second place Spartanburg who shot a score of 591. The rest of the top five were River Bluff (592), Mauldin (602), and Nation Ford (603). TL Hanna's Bennett Scaletta won the individual state championship with a two-day score of 136 and was followed closely in second place by fellow Yellow Jacket and brother Jackson Scaletta with a two-day score of 140. Boiling Springs was led at the 5A state championship tournament by Andrew Gregory who shot a two-day score of 149 (75, 74) ahead of Walker Ingram's 152 (79, 73), Clayton Taylor's 155 (79, 76) and Lawson Miller's 165 (83, 82). In Woodruff, at the Three Pines Golf Course, the 3A state championship golf tournament was being held where the Chapman Panthers golf team was competing. At the end of the two-day tournament the Chapman Panthers finished in 12th place overall with a two-day total score of 688. Woodruff won the 3A state championship after defeating Beaufort in a playoff match. The Panthers were led by Will McCraw who tied for 23rd place overall with a score of 163 over the two days. Woodruff's Gage Howard won the individual state title with a two-day total score of 143. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles softball team fell 5-3 in ten innings to Strom Thurmond in the second round of the 2A Upper State Championship tournament to end the Eagles season on Monday night.
The Eagles struck first in the bottom of the fifth inning as Emily Pruett drove in a run on a groundout to put Chesnee up 1-0 over the Rebels. The Rebels fired back with two runs in the top of the sixth inning when Lawsyn Lowe hit a two RBI double to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead. Maddie Handy delivered for the Eagles with a RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2. The Eagles got an excellent defensive play in the top of the eighth inning as Skylar Barrett made a beautiful throw from centerfield to nail a Rebel runner at third base as Natalie Morris put down the tag. Strom Thurmond struck again in the top of the ninth inning when Emmy Mckie hit a RBI groundout to give the Rebels a 3-2 lead. Jada Sellars responded for Chesnee with a RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 3-3. The Rebels scored the decisive runs of the game on Lauren Strock's RBI single and Halynn Smith RBI double to build a 5-3 lead over the Eagles that they couldn't overcome. The Eagles say goodbye to seniors Brandolin Bearfield, Emily Pruett, and Maddie Handy as well as assistant coach Billy Cash. All three seniors are proud of what Chesnee softball has meant to them and the impact it has had on their lives. "Chesnee softball means everything to me,” said senior Emily Pruett. “I came in as a transfer in my tenth grade year, and they took me in like family. It's family. We play as a team, and we will forever be a team. We are a family outside of school, because that is what we are." "Chesnee softball means a lot to me,” said senior Brandolin Bearfield. “They have always believed in me. They brought me up to start my career in seventh grade. I have played ever since. I want to thank Coach Stacey and Coach Fogle. I love this team." "Chesnee softball means the world to me,” said senior Maddie Handy. “Not just this team, but the community, the little league, the little girls that look up to us. It means every thing to me to be able to give back to the game that has given me so much." The great scientist Albert Einstein once wrote that "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" and for a group of young Chesnee softball players those words ring true for them this season.
Ansley Blanton and Claire Owens could have never dreamed of being on the varsity softball team as seventh graders when the season started at Chesnee Middle School but here they are helping the Eagles with a playoff run. "I'm really happy.," said Owens about being giving this opportunity. "I want to thank Coach Fogle for this opportunity as well as Coach Carver for giving me a chance to play in the outfield." "It's crazy to realize that we just won a district championship and are now playing in the Upper State tournament," said Blanton. "I'm excited to keep playing with these girls." Blanton said. Little did anyone know unfortunate injuries to four key members of the varsity squad would create an opportunity for both players to not only join the varsity team but have keys roles in the Eagles playoff run that recently saw them win a district championship. "It's brought us together more as a team," said senior Maddie Handy. "We have taken them in as our kids and helped guide them and that has brought us closer together." Blanton is now the starting catcher for the Eagles and Owens is the starting right fielder while batting leadoff in the previous two games including her four-hit performance on Wednesday of the district championship. "The cool part about Owens leading off is the unselfishness of Aubrey Aparis," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "I asked her about moving to the two hole and she wanted Claire to have that opportunity. Now having those two at the top of the order with the speed that they have creates a lot of excitement." When asked what got her to this moment Blanton was quick to give credit to others. "My travel ball Coach has really helped prepare me for this, along with all the coaches at Chesnee," said Blanton/ "Tootie (Handy) is an amazing pitcher and she makes me look good while I try my best to make her look good." The Eagles tried shifting things around for a few games with the other players before calling up Blanton and Owens and after adding the pair, both the defensive lineup and batting order has settled into a nice consistency for the Eagles. "Both Blanton and Owens have helped along with other players that have stepped up from JV," said Fogle. "As a staff we have talked about how fortunate we are to have the quality of depth we have at the JV and middle school levels." "It's really difficult when several players go down," said senior Emily Pruett. "But it's great to see when others step up and fill the void that was created." The Eagles three seniors (Maddie Handy, Emily Pruett, and Brandolin Bearfield) along with the rest of the Eagles have helped make the transition easy for the young duo. "You just have to trust in the younger pups to do their job," said Bearfield. "We just let them know you have faith in them." "Throughout my softball career, I have been in a similar spot to what they are in," said Pruett. "Just new to the team, not really knowing anyone. Our responsibility as seniors is to invite them in, and help them adjust and feel as comfortable as they did at the middle school level." "The entire varsity team welcomed them with open arms," said Fogle. "They appreciated the competition and that's the beautiful thing about our girls is they want competition. They pull for everybody as we are one big family, and don't care who gets the credit." "They made me feel comfortable," said Owens. "They helped me settle in and be comfortable in my own skin and feel like a part of the team. Tootie (Maddie Handy) has really helped me adjust." "It's really nice to see that they didn't look at as why are we getting these young players," said Chesnee assistant coach Ashley Westbrooks. "Instead they looked at it as let's show them how we do things around here, and they just welcomed them with open arms." Blanton especially contributed her success behind plate defensively to her battery mate Maddie Handy. "As soon as I met her, I knew we were going to be friends," said Blanton. "She took me under her wings and told me, "You are going to be my catcher." "She is such a good ball player," said Handy. "We have developed a really good chemistry between us, and she has become a friend." "As an old catcher, you want to see your catcher be humble, and try to do what's best for your pitcher," said Fogle. "Ansley does a wonderful job of doing that for us and I'm proud of her along with Tootie (Handy) embracing her and guiding her. It has helped her a whole lot." Eagles Coach Tripp Fogle could not be more pleased with how his seniors and the rest of the team have accepted Owens and Blanton to the varsity team. Westbrooks knows how hard it is to be a middle school student on a varsity squad as she joined her team in the eighth grade at Chesnee and her personal experience has helped her understand the mindset of Owens and Blanton. "Both of Blanton and Owens have really stepped into the roles we needed them to step in to," said Westbrooks. "We talk a lot as a coaching staff about how stressful it can be to be that young, and have the high expectations we have for them/ At the same time though when we pulled them up, we did it because we believed they were fully capable of filling the roles we needed them to." CHESNEE, SC - The Mid-Carolina Rebels downed the Chesnee Eagles in round one of the AA Upper State Championship series by a score of 4-0 on Friday night.
Both pitchers delivered gems in the circle as Amber Hughes picked up the win for Mid-Carolina after throwing a complete game shutout while scattering three hits and striking out eight. Chesnee's Maddie Handy threw a complete game as she surrendered four runs on seven hits while striking out six batters. Handy's strikeouts bring her season total to two hundred strikeouts to continue her impressive senior season. The Rebels got on the board first in the third inning as Savannah Moore hit a leadoff single and later scored on Symari Bowers RBI single. The big blow from the Rebels came in the fifth inning as Bailey Stewart hit a lead off single and scored on Anna Marie Milstead's two run homer to leftfield to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Rebels. Amber Hughes gave herself a little more breathing room with a solo homerun in the top of the sixth inning to make it a 4-0 lead over the Eagles. On the other side of the AA Upper State Tournament, Gray Collegiate Academy defeated Strom Thurmond 3-2 in nine innings. On Monday, Chesnee will host Strom Thurmond as the first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM. Gray Collegiate Academy will travel to Mid-Carolina on the other side of the bracket. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles are moving on to the AA Upper State Championship series thanks to a 7-0 win over the Saluda Tigers in the AA District I Championship game on Wednesday night.
"I'm proud of our girls and proud of our community's support," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "I'm proud we could get this done this evening." Early momentum is key in any sporting event and the Tigers grabbed it in the top of the first inning after Tamia Daniels and Natalee Herron hit back-to-back singles to lead off the game. The Eagles quickly snatched the momentum right back as Maddie Handy struck out the next batter and Harley Grady followed it up with an unassisted double play to swing the momentum back to the home dugout. "It got the crowd into it, and when our crowd supports like that it gives us all the momentum in the world," said Grady about the momentum gained from her double play. "Harley is always heads up and she is so quick," said Fogle. "She does her job and puts the work in. Everyone did all the little things right on that play, it was beautiful to watch." Claire Owens sparked the Eagles with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning and took second base on a throwing error. She later stole third base on a bang-bang play that saw her get under the tag before scoring on Maddie Handy's RBI groundout to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. Handy delivered a shutdown inning in the top of the second inning as she struck out all three batters she faced in the inning. Harley Grady led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single as Claire Owens followed with a single of her own. For the second time in the game her speed down the line caused a rushed throw that turned into an error as Grady scored thanks to the error and Owens wound up at third base. Owens later scored on Aubrey Aparis's RBI groundout as Maddie Handy followed with a double before scoring on Emily Pruett's RBI single to make it 4-0 in favor of the Eagles after five innings. The Eagles added more breathing room in the bottom of the sixth inning as Skylar Barrett reached base after being hit by a pitch with one out while Claire Owens and Aubrey Aparis followed with back-to-back two out singles to load the bases. Maddie Handy promptly cleared them all off of the bases with a three RBI double. "I think the two big innings helped us be able to settle in in the field and play our game defensively," said Handy about the two big offensive innings. Handy not only ended the game with two doubles and four RBIs, but she also picked up the win in the pitching circle. She scattered three hits with only one hit allowed after the first inning while striking out 10 batters which put her at 193 for the season. "I knew tonight was going to be more difficult than the first match as they have already seen me before," said Handy. "I struggled in the first inning but was able to settle in and pitch my game." "She's special," said Fogle about Handy. "Not a single person in the stadium was surprised as she has earned herself a reputation as a great pitcher." Claire Owens had four hits, stole a base, and scored twice as her speed put a lot of pressure on the Tiger defense. Pruett, Grady, and Jada Sellars also had hits for the Eagles. The Eagles will host Mid-Carolina on Friday at 7:00 PM in the first game of the AA Upper State Championship series. "It's exciting to get another opportunity to play in front of our home crowd and continue playing with my teammates," said Harley Grady said about the Eagles advancing on in the playoffs. RUTHERFORDTON, NC - The Chesnee boys golf team has continued to improve all season and on Tuesday afternoon the Eagles shot their best score of the season to win the Region I-2A championship and qualify for a spot in the 2A state championship tournament.
In a tournament held at the Eagles home course of Meadowbrook Golf Course, Chesnee shot their lowest score of the season at 324 to win the championship. The next closest score was second place Landrum who shot a score of 365 to also qualify for the state championship tournament while Liberty finished in third place with a score of 411. "I'm pleased with our overall team effort today," said Chesnee head coach Andy Pitt. "Our score of 324 is our lowest of the year and I feel like we're playing our best golf at the time of the year you need to be playing your best golf. It gives us some momentum going into the state tournament next week as the last time we played eighteen holes we shot a 344 so we've knocked off twenty-shots just since then." Chesnee was led on Tuesday by Creighton Rentz who shot a score of 75 and Peyton Lawter who was right behind with a score of 76. Both players made the All-Region team along with teammates Jake Hefner (86) and Hughston Johnson (87) as the Eagles made up four of the six All-Region spots. Senior golfer Jackson Ramsey finished just short of making All-Region but had a good tournament with a score of 91. This group of golfers is a special one for Coach Pitt as he has kept this group together since a lot of them were seventh graders and is a group showing their promise after they took over for a strong group back in 2019. "These guys when we lost four seniors in 2019 after finishing runner up at the state tournament took over the next year, which happened to be the Covid year," said Pitt. "All these guys were young and we were starting off fresh but all these years of putting in that work you can start to see paying off and it's great seeing them grow and starting to accomplish the goals they set out at the start of the year." Landrum's Troy Whiteside was named the player of the year after firing a score of 73 at the course while Liberty players Talan Thomas (85) and Michael Kannarney (91) made the state tournament as individuals after their performances on Monday. Coach Pitt was also named the region coach of the year on Monday after voting by the other coaches in the region. He said he was happy for the award but said it was because of his kids that he won the award. "That award just goes to my guys," said Pitt. "I don't coach for the awards but to see the guys grow and the only reason I got this award is because the guys put in the work each day. It says a lot about those guys and it's going to be tough leaving these guys at the end of the year but hopefully we got a couple days of golf left before I call it an end for myself. I'm looking forward to the state tournament and we're going to have some fun and enjoy this last ride." Chesnee will next take to the course next Monday and Tuesday as they compete in the 2A boys state championship tournament at the Newberry Country Club in Newberry, SC. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles downed the Fox Creek Predators 2-0 to advance to the AA District I Softball championship, where the Eagles will host the championship and have to be defeated twice to not advance.
The Eagles got an incredible performance from senior Maddie Handy in the pitching circle, who has routinely come up big for the Eagles time and time again this season. "I really focused on keeping my spin tight and making sure to put my pitches where they were supposed to be," said Handy. "Absolute dominance," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "The good thing is nobody in our dugout or bleachers was surprised. Everybody knows that's what Tootie (Handy) is all about. I'm extremely proud of her, and glad she is on our side." Handy faced twenty-two batters, one over the minimum, as she had one batter reach base on an error while only allowing a single hit. She struck out 15 batters including a string of seven strikeouts and at one point striking out eleven of the twelve batters she faced. She also struck out at least one batter in every inning. When she wasn't striking out batters, her defense had her back, as one of the two base runners was caught stealing by catcher Ansley Blanton. Harley Grady, Claire Owens, Jada Sellars, and Emily Pruett were some of the other Eagle defenders to make nice defensive plays on Friday night. Owens and Aubrey Aparis, two speedsters at the top of the order, each reached base to open the bottom of the first inning. Handy followed by beating out an infield hit to drive in Owens and Aparis scored on the play thanks to a throwing error to plate the game's only runs. "It took some pressure off," said Fogle. "You feel comfortable with an early lead with the way Tootie (Handy) was pitching." "It felt good to get early runs as it gave us momentum we could keep building on," said Handy about the early runs. Handy and Skylar Barrett led the Eagles with two hits each as Aparis, Pruett, Brandolin Bearfield, and Olivia Tolleson each collected a hit as well. "It felt really good," said Barrett about her hits. "I had been in a hitting slump the past two games, so this is a really big deal to me to help my team advance to the District championship." Addyson Snellings pitched for the Predators as she threw a complete game with three strikeouts. Chesnee will be back in action on Wednesday as they will face the winner of Saluda at Fox Creek, which will be played on Monday. Wednesday's game will have a 5:00pm first pitch as the Eagles will have to be defeated twice. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles used two big innings to open the game and come away with an 8-4 win over the Newberry Bulldogs to advance to the AA District III championship.
"I told the guys before the game, we are still alive and still playing baseball, and that means you still have a chance," said Chesnee head coach Scott Wease. "So come out here let's get one more, and head back to Strom Thurmond." "Both games they jumped out to early leads on us," said Chesnee's Ethan Lawson. "We stayed in it each time and kept fighting back. We played Chesnee baseball". The Eagles got three runs in the bottom of the first on RBIs by Tucker Johnson, Ethan Lawson, and Carson Gossett. Lawson added two more RBIs in the three run second inning as the Eagles built a 6-2 lead while Carson Williamson also collected an RBI in the inning. Tucker Johnson helped increase the Eagle's lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as he added a two RBI double to make it 8-4 heading into the final frame. "It was really big," said Orr about the run support he got from his team. "It helped me get my mind right and it gave me freedom in case I did make a mistake." Johnson was able to grab the win for the Eagles while Kohen Orr picked up the save in relief. The Eagles played a day early thanks to trying to avoid the possibility of rain in the forecast for Saturday. The weather situation along with smart coaching appears to have the Eagles with all hands-on deck for Monday's championship game. "I think we kept both pitcher under the pitch count," said Wease. "That's the best thing we could hope for. Now, we head down to Strom Thurmond hoping to win game one as anything can happen in game two." The Eagles will travel down to Strom Thurmond on Monday and will look to defeat the Rebels twice. "We have been talking all season how we just want to keep playing for our seniors," said Orr. "I hope we can pull out the wins." "We are going into Monday with everyone," said Lawson. "We are going in there trying our best to win and hoping to have fun." CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles downed the Saluda Tigers 10-0 to advance to the winner's bracket of the AA District I playoffs on Wednesday night.
"Very excited about how well we hit the ball tonight," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "Last few games it seemed like we were pressing a bit and I'm very pleased with how we played tonight." The Eagles received contributions from up and down the lineup while also getting a dandy from Handy in the pitching circle. "This is what you want," said Fogle. "This is a great team win. Maddie pitched great, but I can't think of a one person who single handily won the game. This was a team effort and a team win. We had great at bats and I'm extremely proud of how we hit the ball." Maddie Handy allowed two hits while only walking one in a five-inning complete game. She finished the game with eight strikeouts including the final three batters she faced as Handy and catcher Ansley Blanton did a good job of keeping the Tiger batters off balance all night. "I was spinning the ball great," said Handy. "We had a lot of momentum in the dugout. I'm so proud of everybody" Handy along with her teammates made sure she had plenty of run support. "We came out and hit the ball well," said Handy. "It feels great to know my teammates will have my back at the plate and produce the runs we need." Handy reached on an error in the top of the first inning and later scored on an RBI single by Jada Sellars to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. After Handy and Emily Pruett both reached base to start the bottom of the third inning, a pair of two RBI doubles by Natalie Morris and Olivia Tolleson busted the game open as the Eagles built a 5-0 lead. The Eagles once again got rolling in the fifth inning as Harley Grady led off with a walk and a stolen base before later scoring on Claire Owens' RBI double, it was Owens third hit of the game. Owens later scored on an error after Aubrey Aparis beat out an infield hit. Handy, Pruett, Sellars, and Morris each followed with singles, with Pruett, Sellars, and Morris driving in runs. "It feels really good," said Aparis. "We all know we have the potential to do well at the plate. It's just putting forth the effort and the work, now we are ready for Friday." Handy and Owens each finished with three hits as Morris, Sellars, and Grady each finished with a pair of hits of their own. The Eagles will return to action on Friday night when they play Fox Creek at 6:00 PM as the Predators defeated Columbia 18-2 on Wednesday night. |
Our Sponsors
. If you would like to join us as a sponsor please contact us at: [email protected]
Archives
October 2023
Categories |