Strickland, Cribb capture Morning News top baseball honors

Every high school baseball player knows the empty feeling associated with striking out at a key moment or when the game is on the line.
Johnsonville’s Taylor Strickland, however, didn’t have any of those feelings this season.
Strickland was the table-setter for the Flashes’ offense this season, and in 92 at bats, the Johnsonville shortstop never struck out.
Combined with a .554 batting average, 23 RBI and 16 stolen bases, Strickland’s year helped earn him Morning News Player of the Year honors.
Marion coach Don Cribb guided his team to a banner year. The Swamp Foxes captured their first region title since 1996, and advanced farther in the playoffs than they had since 1993’s lower state title team.
For his efforts, Cribb has been named the Morning News Coach of the Year.
As leadoff man, Strickland’s main focus entering every at bat was to find a way to get on.
“I really try to watch the pitcher in the on-deck circle,” Strickland said. “I’m just trying to pick up on whatever tips I can get; like what his out pitch is, what his first pitch is, what he throws with two strikes, things like that.
“I’m a contact hitter, so I’m just looking for something I can put in play any way I can.”
Strickland has gone down on strikes only twice in the last two seasons. His .554 average and 51 hits were tops on the team.
“I really wanted to improve my average this year,” Strickland said. “I was two points under .400 last year and I wanted to get over that this year. I didn’t expect to hit over .500, though.
“I just spent a lot of extra time with my dad practicing and in the batting cages working on my swing.”
Strickland was a key piece of a Johnsonville lineup that scored 361 runs on its way to a berth in the Class A lower state title game. His 41 runs and .607 on-base percentage were second on the team.
“He battles, but he’s also very patient at the plate,” Johnsonville coach Scott Cook said. “He takes his hacks the first couple of pitches, but he’s very good at finding a way to get on even when he has two strikes against him. He doesn’t get out of his element and he stays within himself.
“He loves the game. He studies the game and his opponents. He’s one of the hardest workers that I know.”
Hard work was part of the equation for Marion’s big season. After a year away, Cribb returned for his 24th go-round with the Swamp Foxes and knew right away he had a special group.
“A lot of these kids had been with us since the eighth grade and they had gone through a lot of adversity,” Cribb said. “But I thought this was a group that had the potential to be really special, and they made it happen.”
Cribb credited his coaching staff and pitchers in helping the team to a 17-6 record and berth in the Class 2A lower state bracket. Marion’s top two pitchers Justin Gause and Ross White had a combined 2.15 earned run average and 12 wins.
The Swamp Foxes also had a team batting average well above .300.
“We had a lot of kids of worked hard and stepped up,” Cribb said. “Our pitchers all did an outstanding job and we had some really good seasons from a couple of them. Our lineup was exceptional, top-to-bottom. Everyone had big hits.”
A simplified approach to the game also helped, Cribb added.
“We really concentrated on the fundamentals this year,” he said. “We made sure to do the little things right, and we never looked to far down the road.
“I know it’s clíché, but we took things one game at a time. After every game, our goal was to be 1-0 for that day.”

All-Pee Dee Baseball Team

P Robbie Brown (Dillon) — 5-1, 1.18 ERA, 41 IP, 71 K, 9 BB
P Ben Tillman (Cheraw) — 6-1, 1.97 ERA, 39 IP, 62 K, 5 BB, .319 average
C Josh Powell (Johnsonville) — .398 average, 44 RBI, 5 HR, .720 slugging percentage
1B Matthew Davis (Johnsonville) — .405 average, 38 RBI, 7 HR, .762 slugging percentage
2B Reggie Weatherford (Lake City) — .506 average, 34 RBI, 7 HR, 15 stolen bases, .899 slugging percentage
3B Ericson Coker (East Clarendon) — .554 average, 20 RBI, 6 stolen bases, .732 slugging percentage
SS Taylor Strickland (Johnsonville) — .554 average, 23 RBI, 16 stolen bases, .607 on-base percentage
OF Shane Miles (Lake City) — .479 average, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 18 stolen bases, .753 slugging percentage
OF Aaron Miller (Cheraw) — .450 average, 3 HR, 32 RBI, .717 slugging percentage
OF Anthony Smith (Dillon) — .462 average, 6 HR, 16 RBI