Pee Dee Academy wins first game, readies for Williamsburg Academy

For years, Pee Dee Academy baseball seemed to be stuck in a slump. But, playoff berths in each of the last two seasons has brought hope this spring for the Golden Eagles.

After two years of new-found success, a group of seven seniors leads Pee Dee into the season. They also enter the season with a new coach. First-year head man, Splinter Spivey, knows the benefit of having an experienced team. But, ahead of him, he also sees the rigors of a long year in an expanded region.

"Hopefully, we can have a good year with seven returning starters," said Spivey. "But, the additions of Carolina and Williamsburg to an already tough region, will only make our run at a title tougher."

Dennis Moore leads this talented senior class. The left-handed pitcher also plays first base on defense. He has power in his bat and, according to Spivey, has the ability to become a consistent offensive threat to the Golden Eagles.

"No. 2" pitcher, Kevin Thomas, is a righty that is also solid at the shortstop position and does a good job of getting on base and setting the table for the offense. Number three starter is Jed Hayes. The right-handed pitcher will be a solid addition on the hill as weel as the outfield, where he displays a strong arm.

Patrolling the infield at second is senior Brett Hester. He has shown himself to be solid on defense and carries a smart bat to the dish on offense and Jamie Estes is another senior that is able to rotate the corners of the infield on defense and display a solid glove on either side.

The two remaining seniors play the outfield. The first is Charlie Fincannon in center, leader of the outfield defense and a lead-off hitter. He covers a lot of ground in a hurry and displays a strong arm.

Cody Gibson is in left and is able to make up a lot of space in a hurry and with a strong arm. He is accurate at getting the ball back to the infield when needed. Storm Page is another Golden Eagle capable of playing the outfield when needed, but also is at catcher. A solid, rugged defensive presence, he carries a lot of power in the bat.

Jordan Richardson is a sophomore in his first year at the varsity level. He can play either position on the left side of the infield, providing depth on defense.
Another first-year player will be freshman Will Daniels. He will play the catcher position, a position where he stood tall on the junior varsity last season.

"Pitching and defense appears to be ahead of the bats early on," Spivey noted after the first weeks of practice and the first game, a 5-1 win over Marlboro.

"We might not have a lot of great hitters at the start of the season, but we sure don't have a lot of easy outs in the line-up either. Hopefully, we can generate some runs from being smart at the plate and putting the ball in play throughout the line-up."

Against Marlboro, the team performed well enough for the victory.

Thomas took the win on the mound, going the full seven innings with 16 strikeouts. Assisting Spivey is former Mullins High School three-sport star and Francis Marion player and alum, Dickie Martin.

His knowledge of the game and experience bring a lot to the table and will not only be a valuable asset to Spivey, but to the Golden Eagles as a whole and to the players who will definitely look to him for that knowledge and support.

This Friday, the Golden Eagles play host to perennial baseball power Williamsburg at Baker Fields. Game time is set for 5 p.m.