After defeating South Florence 7-3 Friday night on the baseball diamond, the Hartsville Red Foxes captured the team’s third consecutive region title.
They share the region championship with Sumter High School.
Hartsville head coach Tony Gainey said the championship felt great, especially since many sports prognosticators didn’t give the Foxes much of a chance at the beginning of the season.
Many thought Harts-ville would finish anywhere from third to fifth place in the region.
However, with the victory over the Bruins on Friday, Hartsville finished the season with an 8-2 region record. Their only losses were to Sumter and Conway.
For another added bonus, the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association released its rankings this week, and Hartsville is now the sixth-ranked team in South Carolina.
“Winning the region was a great feeling,” Gainey said on Tuesday. “That feeling is compounded exponentially when you add in the fact that everyone gave us zero chance of being successful.”
Gainey said the kids on the team dictated all of the success this season. “So many people read these Web sites and papers about high school baseball where everyone is free to give their opinions, but they know zilch about the character and heart of a team. They look at what you lost, what’s coming back, who’s coaching, etc., and never take into consideration the desire and fortitude that makes up a team, much less tradition.”
The Foxes got solid production throughout the season from a myriad of contributors.
Hunter Privette, Cody Mincey, Jent Jones, John Wrenn and Fred Henne combined to give the Foxes solid pitching. However, the Foxes were the most successful at the plate.
Each of the team’s members had success at different times during the season as Hartsville had double-digit hit counts in most of its games this season.
Gainey also said the region title in his first year as a head coach is nice, but the success is due to the string of fine coaches Hartsville has had in its history.
“I have been an assistant to some very fine head coaches and learned a lot from those guys,” the head coach said. “I also have some of the finest assistant coaches around who need some to take some credit for this as well . . . There are a lot of hands stirring this pot, past and present. To each of them, thank you.”
A series of tiebreakers was used to determine seeding in the playoffs. Hartsville was given the number two seed. They will host James Island on Thursday, April 30.
As of press time Tuesday, the game time had not be scheduled.
For more information on the baseball playoffs, including brackets and times, visit the S.C. High School League Web site at www.schsl.org.
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