Four score high school baseball all-star honors

Bishop England and Philip Simmons had strong seasons this spring, and it was reflected in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state honors.

 

The Battling Bishops had two players earn Class AAA all-state: Daniel Brooks and Chase Loggins.

 

Brooks, a 6-8 righthander, was one of the most dominating pitchers in the Palmetto State this spring. He is headed to the College of Charleston, but his draft stock continues to rise. Some observers feel he could be taken in the first four rounds of the upcoming Major League Baseball draft.

 

He was a force at the plate as well with a .379 batting average with seven doubles and a pair of homers. He led the Bishops with 34 RBI.

 

Loggins, an infielder who will play for The Citadel Bulldogs next year, batted .342 with six doubles, a triple and two homers. He drove in 15 runners and collected 22 stolen bases.

 

Brooks and Loggins were selected to play in the North-South All-Star Games, which are slated for June 8 at Lexington and Gilbert high schools.

 

The Iron Horses also had two players make all-state in Class AA: Tristan Skipper and Trip Williams.

 

Skipper pitched in 10 games and posted a 4-2 record with a 2.75 ERA. He struck out 47 batters in 43 1/3 innings.

 

Williams was one of the top RBI men in the state with 24 to lead the Iron Horses. He collected 20 hits in 63 at-bats for a .317 average. He played catcher and was charged with only six passed.

 

“These two are the first all-state selections in the program’s history and they’ve worked and earned every bit of that recognition,” coach Josh Kubisz said.

 

Bishop England saw its three-year reign as state champs end this spring. The Bishops went 13-13-1, including a 7-3 record in Region 8-AAA.

 

The Iron Horses owned a 12-9 record and won the Region 6-AA championship with a 4-0 record. The Iron Horses defeated Buford 4-3 Monday night to reach the Lower State District 4 championship game against Latta, which was scheduled for May 25.

 

Soccer playoffs

 

The Bishop England and Philip Simmons boys’ soccer teams both had successful seasons this spring.

 

The Bishops, who were ranked No. 1 in Class AAA for the majority of the season, posted a 14-4 record and made a deep run in the playoffs. However, the Bishops’ bid for their first state title since 2016 and 18th overall ended when they dropped a heart-breaking

2-1 overtime decision to Brookland-Cayce in the Lower State championship.

 

One of the Bishops’ season highlights included veteran coach Ed Khouri notching his 500th career victory.

 

Philip Simmons also experienced success at the Class AA level.

 

The Iron Horses posted a 14-4 record and won the Region 6-AA championship with a 4-0 record.

 

The Iron Horses opened the playoffs with an 8-1 victory over Greer Middle College, but dropped a second-round match to Andrew Jackson by a 3-1 margin.