Play ball! Previewing the 2022 softball teams in York, Chester and Lancaster counties

The 2022 softball season is in the early stages, and teams in York, Chester and Lancaster counties are already off to a great start.

The Legion Collegiate Lancers had the best record in the area last spring. The Lancers won the Region 4-2A title on their way to winning the South Carolina High School League’s Class 2A state championship.

Legion Collegiate broke away from the SCHSL at the end of last school year, and the program is now playing its first year in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association.

The bulk of last year’s team, which finished with an overall mark of 25-7, returns for this campaign, and head coach Mark Cooke is ready to continue building the program.

“We are not eligible for any title in our new league, but we will continue to work hard to get our program to the level that we desire,” he said. “Most of our players participated in summer ball, and we are ready for another season.”

The Lancers have only a dozen players on this year’s roster, but they are all talented. Among those players include a swath of Division I-bound seniors, including Aleah Roy (who’s heading to Winthrop), Morgan Langley (who signed with USC Upstate) and Gabi Wilson (who will play at North Carolina State).

“We have lots of experience and talent returning,” he added. “In addition we have several newcomers, including some freshmen, who will contribute to our success.”

Fort Mill expects a big year in 5A

In 5A, the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets enjoyed yet another outstanding season last spring.

The Jackets were 7-1 in Region 3-5A and 18-5 overall. They went 3-3 in the postseason and were eliminated in the second round.

Chuck Stegall is back at the head of the program, and he is looking for another good year in a very tough region.

“This region is solid,” he said. “You cannot take anyone lightly.”

The key for success is to continue what the program has been doing for years: Rely on its upperclassmen. That includes senior slugger Ava Balsinger as well as Maddie Drerup, an All-State selection last season who hit .444 with three home runs and 14 RBI and who also was the team’s starting pitcher.

“We have good leadership again this year, and we set the same goals every year,” he added. “We are beginning to hit the ball very well, and we must be ready to make the routine plays and overcome any mistakes on defense.”

The Clover Blue Eagles, who always field a very competitive team, finished second in that region a year ago with a mark of 5-3. They went 2-2 in the postseason and finished 16-10. Nation Ford was 2-5 last spring and came home fourth in the region. They were 11-10 overall after failing to make the playoffs. Boiling Springs, which was third a year ago, and Gaffney, which finished fifth in 2021, complete the region.

In Region 4-5A, both the Northwestern Trojans and Rock Hill Bearcats look to be much improved after missing the postseason last spring. Rock Hill was third in the region behind Blythewood and Spring Valley last season, while Northwestern was fourth. Ridge View completes that region.

Catawba Ridge, Indian Land have 4A title in sights

In 4A, the Catawba Ridge Copperheads and the Indian Land Warriors look to be strong again. They finished last season tied for first in Region 3-4A with records of 9-3.

Catawba Ridge had a great run in the postseason. They were 4-2 in the playoffs and lost in the second round to Lugoff-Elgin. They finished the year with an overall mark of 22-9.

“That playoff experience from last year will certainly help us this season,” said head coach Michael Kidd. “We have set our goals high this year, and they are working extremely hard to be a better team this season.”

The Catawba Ridge program is only in its third season and has come a long way. And the Copperheads are going to be good and young again: Sophomore Chloe Burger, who went 20-9 as a starting freshman pitcher while notching 227 strikeouts, has returned. And so has sophomore Audrey Wilson, who hit .521 and 11 home runs in 2021, and senior Janelle Ilacqua.

“I am very happy with what we have done,” he added. “This year we need to keep that same work ethic and concentrate on doing the little things right all the time. Our players have bought into what we are doing.”

Indian Land was 2-2 last spring in the playoffs. The Warriors completed the campaign with a record of 16-7.

They return a lot of familiar faces in 2022: Region 3-4A Player of the Year Peyton Hurst, who went 12-3 last year and tossed 110 strikeouts in 2021, has returned. And so has UNC Charlotte commit Savanna Nguyen.

“We have most of our players back from a year ago, and our leadership has been very good,” said head coach Monica Barfield. “We have good depth. We should be strong on offense and defense, and our pitching is solid.”

The Warriors have a new field to play on this spring. The players really like the atmosphere because it is at the school.

“They are super excited to play on this new field,” she added. “The players feel like they are part of the school now. That excitement will also help us this year.”

The Lancaster Bruins were third in that region last time around with a mark of 8-4. They were 12-9 overall. The York Cougars and South Pointe Stallions tied for fourth with region records of 1-11. York was 2-13 overall, while South Pointe finished 2-14. All three missed the postseason.

3A, 2A, 1A: Andrew Jackson looks to reload

In 3A, the Chester Cyclones enjoyed a good year. They were second in Region 4-3A with a record of 5-3. They made the playoffs, but lost their first two games and ended the year with an overall record of 7-9.

The Cyclones look to build from last year’s season and challenge for the region crown.

In 2A, the Andrew Jackson Volunteers were third in Region 4-2A behind Legion Collegiate and Buford.

They turned it on in the playoffs, where they went 5-3 and were eliminated in the state championship. That postseason run last spring gave them plenty of experience to start this season.

“That will go a long way this year,” said head coach Wesley Kidd. “We have a good tradition here, and hopefully what they did a year ago will make them hungry to do well again.”

The Volunteers have two seniors and one junior on a very young roster that consists of only 11 players, but they have talent in those few numbers.

“We have got to field, hit, and pitch. You must do at least two of those three to be successful,” he added. “The big key for us is to stay focused and stay healthy.”

In 1A, the Lewisville Lions were the runners-up to McBee in Region 2-1A. They were 4-2 in region play and made the playoffs. They went 1-2 in the postseason and completed the season with an overall mark of 13-9.

“All of our starters are back,” said head coach Jerry Thomas. “The leadership is also there. The success we had last year as a very young team will hopefully carry over to this season.”

The Lions will need to have success in two key areas in 2022.

“We need to cut down on our errors, and be more consistent at the plate,” he added. “We only have 11 players on the roster, so we need to stay healthy.”

The Great Falls Red Devils were third in the region at 2-4 last season. They did not make the playoffs and finished with a record of 2-11. CA Johnson was fourth last time around. The region will have five members this spring as Midlands Stem is fielding a team for the first time.

This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 7:00 AM.