2 days Ago
Expectations were high for Ashley Ridge entering this baseball season, but things don’t always go as expected. The Swamp Foxes, ranked No. 4 in the Coaches Association 5A Div.
I preseason poll, are off to a 4-9 start and a 1-2 mark in region play. “We are having some growing pains, but these are tough kids, so they just need to keep trusting in our process, and hopefully, we will be there at the end of the season,” said Ashley Ridge coach B.J.
Bellush. “We are a pretty good team, but we have to play well consistently, which we aren’t doing right now.” Junior Riley Waters was expected to settle into the No.
2 spot in the team’s pitching rotation this season but is injured and out for the season. Also, the team has seemed a little rusty early regarding errors and at the plate. However, the team returned 13 varsity lettermen, including nine seniors.
Jack Healing takes a lead off third base during the Swamp Foxes victory March 26. Ace Noah Seguer is committed to pitching for Charleston Southern University next year. Cohen Parker, who moved from the No.
3 spot in the rotation into the No. 2 spot, is committed to The Citadel. Infielders/pitchers Easton Thorpe, Alan Carden and Jackson Christopher are committed to playing for USC Sumter.
Hurler Ethan Lopez is committed to Erskine College. Catcher/outfielder Hunter Hunt is committed to USC Salkehatchie. The other two seniors are Catcher Luke Lash and pitcher/infielder Caleb Roberts.
Other returning varsity lettermen are sophomore infielder/pitcher Jagger Spivey, junior infielder Kason Kuhn and junior outfielder/pitcher Jack Healing. The team is still looking for a pitcher to fill the third slot, so for now, the late-in-the-week pitching will be done by committee. “We have a bunch of sophomores who we will rely on for a couple of innings, and we are still looking for our third starter,” Bellush said.
“We do have plenty of arms and some capable guys. It’s just a matter of putting them in the right spots.” Noah Bailey was pulled up from the junior varsity program to do some pitching and has been a spark in the outfield.
Braxton Sherrouse, Brodie Tuthill and Will Jutzeler are among the other pitchers competing for time on the hill. Also new to the varsity squad are infielders Kruse Kuhn, Jeremiah Alford and Mason Wilcox. Tuthill is leading the team at the plate, and Kruse Kuhn also brought a welcome bat to the order.
Thorpe and Healing are among the returners who had solid performances at the plate this past season for the Swamp Foxes. Brian Givens, Bobby Marion and Chris Brame returned as Bellush’s assistant coaches for another season. So far, the team’s biggest win of the season came over region rival Fort Dorchester, where Bellush, Givens and Brame used to coach.
The Swamp Foxes handed the Patriots a 12-4 loss in North Charleston. Parker got the win on the hill, and Lopez closed the game. Offensive highlights included a two-run home run by Carden, an RBI double by Kruse Kuhn and a pair of hits from Tuthill.
“We got back to playing Ashley Ridge baseball,” Bellush said. “We had a good outing from Cohen Parker on the mound and played error-free baseball. We pride ourselves on those things and then try to get some timely hits.
One through nine, the guys competed at the plate.” Ashley Ridge travels to region foe Stall Monday, March 31, hosts the Warriors Wednesday, April 2, and closes that series out back at Stall Friday, April 4. All games are scheduled for 6:30 p.
m..
