Multiple Lexington County teams earn SCBCA preseason recognition
By Thomas Grant Jr.
It was a historic baseball season last spring for Batesburg-Leesville.
The Panthers rallied to win the Class 2A Best-of-Three state championship, ending a 76-year title drought and securing the program’s place in school history. That run has carried over into the preseason, as Batesburg-Leesville opens the year ranked No. 1 in Class 2A in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association (SCBCA) preseason poll.
Mid-Carolina also earned recognition in Class 2A, checking in at No. 9, while Gilbert is ranked seventh in Class 3A.
In Class 5A Division I, four Region 4-5A teams appear in the preseason poll. State runner-up Lexington is ranked third, while River Bluff sits ninth, highlighting the region’s depth entering the season.
Fans will get an early look at several ranked teams during two preseason tournaments hosted in Lexington County. The Opterra Solutions Invitational, co-hosted by Lexington and River Bluff high schools, and the Sandlapper Shootout at Gilbert High School will showcase multiple teams featured in the preseason rankings.
SCBCA Preseason Baseball Polls
Class 5A – Division I
- James Island
- Dorman
- Lexington
- Blythewood
- Boiling Springs
- River Bluff
- Fort Dorchester
- Mauldin
- Dutch Fork
10 (tie). Stratford & J.L. Mann
Class 4A
- Airport
- A.C. Flora
- Seneca
- Fountain Inn
- Daniel
- North Augusta
- Gilbert
- Hartsville
- Wren
- Camden
Class 2A
- Batesburg-Leesville
- Atlantic Collegiate
- Clinton
- Phillip Simmons
- Cheraw
- East Clarendon
- Andrew Jackson
- Buford
- Mid-Carolina
- Landrum
(Photo by Batesburg-Leesville High School)
