Post 1 eyeing state championship

FLORENCE — Like most coaches, Post 1’s Derick Urquhart wanted his Florence squad to head into the postseason playing its best baseball of the season.
A 16-0 League II record and a 13-game winning streak certainly qualifies.

Originally thought to be a transition year, Post 1 (19-3) enters its American Legion first-round playoff series today against Manning with sights set on a state title.

“This was the first Florence team to go undefeated in league play, so that’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Urquhart said. “We seemed to really turn things on after the Legion Challenge tournament, and we’ve been playing some really good baseball since then.”

After the Legion Challenge tournament in Sumter in mid June, Post 1 was batting just .260. Since then, the offense has raised its average to .354 — with a new home run record to boot.

After slugging 32 home runs all of last year, Florence has 33 so far this season. Cody Ritch leads the team with eight followed by Charlie Abbott and Tyler Boyd with six each.

Boyd, Abbott, Oneal Kennedy and Michael Wilson all are batting above .400, and Post 1 has 10 players batting .300 or better.

“Our offense and our lineup is really made up of interchangeable parts,” Urquhart said. “We have a lot of different guys who have stepped in and performed well in different situations and different games.”

That depth hascome in handy. Shortstop and closer Dustin Britt is likely sidelined for the rest of the year with a knee ligament injury he sustained more than a week ago. Depending on the starting pitcher, Florence has used several combinations its last few games, all with equally successful results.

While hitting and defense have been big keys, Post 1’s strength has been its talented corps of pitchers. Florence’s top three starters (Abbott, Robbie Brown, Spencer Jordan) have a combined 15-2 record with a 2.51 earned run average.

Add in the relievers and a couple spot starters and Florence’s team ERA is still a sparkling 3.20.

“It’s been a really amazing group of guys that have gone out there and battled and kept us in every game this season,” Urquhart said.

“We know what we are going to get every night, and we know that if are starters go six or seven innings in the playoffs, we’ll be in good position to make a run.”

Post 1 begins its run today at 7 p.m. at Legion Field in a best-of-five series against a familiar former League III foe in Manning. Florence leads the overall series 36-17, dating back to 1957.

They last faced each other in the playoffs in 2003 in the first round where Manning won the series three games to one.

Manning is led by former Laurence Manning standout and rising Francis Marion sophomore pitcher Drew Watcher. Rising USC Lancaster sophomore and former East Clarendon High School catcher Dyson Coker leads post 68 offensively.

“(Watcher) is a very good pitcher with a good fastball and a good curveball,” Urquhart said. “They have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the ball in play and they very fundamentally sound on offense and defense.”

Junior legion team in state tourney
The Florence Jr. Legion team will begin its quest of a third state title July 22 against either Socastee or Georgetown in Marion.

The Jr. team went 19-3 this season and won the League VI title and swept Sumter in the first round of the playoffs.

POST 1 LEADERS
HITTING
AVERAGE: Charlie Abbott .480; Michael Wilson .449; Tyler Boyd .418; Cody Ritch .391; Chandler Smetana .371.
HOME RUNS: Cody Ritch 8; Charlie Abbott 6; Tyler Boyd 6; Michael Wilson 3; Spencer Jordan 3.
RBI: Tyler Boyd 26; Cody Ritch 24; Michael Wilson 23; Charlie Abbott 17; Chandler Smetana 17
Hits: Michael Wilson 35; Cody Ritch 27; Chandler Smetana 26; Charlie Abbott 24; Tyler Boyd 23
Runs: Michael Wilson 27; Keith Branco 23; Tyler Boyd 22; Cody Ritch 21; Chandler Smetana 19
PITCHING
RECORD: Robbie Brown 6-0; Charlie Abbott 5-1; Spencer Jordan 4-1.
ERA (starters): Charlie Abbott 2.13; Spencer Jordan 2.40; Spencer Matthews 2.75
Strikeouts: Spencer Jordan 41; Robbie Brown 30; Charlie Abbott 24.