Post 1 ready for new season

FLORENCE — Building chemistry is an essential part of any team, and for Post 1, the process began in earnest Friday at the second annual media/fan day.

Members of both the junior and senior American Legion teams were on hand to participate in the Garnet vs. Gray game and to get to know each other a little better.

“It’s fun for us as coaches to be able to see both squads out here,” Post 1 coach Derick Urquhart said. “We have eighth graders all the way up to college freshmen on the field together, so it’s a great experience for them and a great way to see some live pitching.”

Getting to know teammates might be especially important for Post 1’s senior team this year with 10 new faces on the roster, including Charlie Abbott who missed all of last season because of surgery.

For other players like Dillon’s Dustin Britt, it’s a chance to reacquaint with old rivals and old teammates.

“I played against a lot of these guys over the years and on all-star teams, so to get to play on the same team with them for a season is a lot of fun,” said Britt, who finished up his freshman season at USC Beaufort. “It’s also great to see some of my old high school buddies here and to get to play with them again.”

With so many new pieces, it also gave some of the older players a peak at what this year’s team will be like.

“We’ve got a lot of guys back from last season, but we’ve also got some guys who are going to step in and fill some key roles for us,” third-year player Keith Branco said. “We get to see some pitching and see how these guys do and we get to see some of the younger talent coming up.”

Florence’s season kicks off Friday with the fifth annual Post 1 Invitational held at South and West Florence.

Florence has its first League II contest against Conway on June 2 at Legion Field.

Post 1 has made the state playoffs each of the last four seasons.

Florence is making the move to League II after playing in League III the past two seasons.

“We’re in a new league this year and we’re going to see face some different teams and different challenges than we have in the past,” Urquhart said. “I think if our pitchers can give us good outings every night and we continue to play good defense and have good situational hitting, it will be a good year.”

The junior team, looking for its third straight state championship, begins its season on Wednesday at Cheraw.

Post 1 Roster
No. Name (College/High School) Pos.
1. Kyle Johnson (Dillon Christian) 2B/P
2. Matthew Prosser (Florence Christian) 3B/P
3. Keith Branco (FDTC/Wilson) 3B/2B
4. Michael Wilson (Florence Christian) SS/OF
5. Hunter Gregg (West Florence) P
6. Dustin Britt (USC-Beaufort/Dillon) SS/P
7. Chandler Smetana (West Florence) 2B
8. Keaton Lutcken (FDTC/West Florence) OF
9. Charlie Abbott (Presbyterian/West Florence) P/OF/1B
10. Phillip Herring (Dillon) C/P
11. Tyler Boyd (FMU/Lamar) OF/P
12. Landis Lane (West Florence) C
13. Spencer Jordan (FDTC/South Florence) P/1B
14. Oneal Kennedy (West Florence) OF
15. Robbie Brown (Dillon) P/1B
16. Spencer Matthews (West Florence) P
18. Gillie Revell (FDTC/Darlington) OF
20. Dale Sylvester (FDTC/West Florence) P/1B
25. Cody Ritch (FDTC/West Florence) 3B