Expectations for Summerville on the baseball diamond this season are high, and the Green Wave is off to a solid start.
Thane Maness is in his first season as the Green Wave skipper. The squad has a strong core of 11 returning varsity lettermen. Those players helped Summerville win region and district championships this past season and finish with a 23-9 record. The team was eliminated from the playoffs with losses in the Class 5A Lower State Championship Series.
This season, Summerville is off to a 6-3 start.
“I thought we played well at the I.P. (Baseball Classic),” Maness said. “We had a big win against Berkeley in the tournament and a big win against Blue Ridge. Once we got into the regular season, we continued to play well. We had a big win over Dutch Fork last Friday and again today. We have not played to our potential yet, but we are building toward that.”
This past spring the team graduated seven seniors who are missed, but Summerville still has a lot of talent. Outfielder P.J. Morlando and pitcher Carson Messina return to the team after garnering All-State honors as juniors. Both have signed to play for the University of South Carolina next season.
Morlando carried a .550-plus batting average through the first eight games this season. He led the Green Wave at the plate in 2023 with a .463 batting average, a .617 on-base percentage and a .800 slugging percentage. He had 37 hits, including six home runs, one triple and seven doubles. He drove in 19 runs while scoring 28.
Messina already has three home runs this season. In 2023, he had a .298 batting average, a .455 on-base percentage and a .606 slugging percentage with 28 hits, including eight home runs and five doubles while driving in 23 runs and scoring 25.
Fellow senior Christian Scarano is back after finishing this past season with a .317 batting average, a .421 on-base percentage and a .365 slugging percentage. He had 20 hits, including three doubles, and drove in seven runs while scoring nine.
Senior Drew Hayes and junior Aiden Vorlick return after finishing 2023 among the Wave’s RBI leaders. Senior Brock Mathis, who is in his first season with Summerville, is the team’s designated hitter.
“P.J. is hitting the ball extremely well,” Maness said. “Hayes is stepping up, and Vorlick swung for the first time this year and hit a home run. Wiley Waring is also starting to swing the bat.”
Considering Summerville has already faced multiple pitchers who throw in the 90-plus MPH range, the coach is pleased with his team’s production at the plate.
“Our order is starting to come together,” he said. “Offensively, the biggest key for us is to drive runners in and get the big two-out hits. Early in the year, we weren’t doing those things, but we are starting to pick it up a little. We’ve seen quality arms, including some D-1 commits, but I feel that, in the long run, that will help us. As long as we keep improving, we can have a solid season.”
The top three pitchers in Summerville’s rotation are all returners who finished this past season with respectable ERAs. Messina finished with a 2.32 ERA and 88 strikeouts. Hayes had a 2.15 ERA and 41 strikeouts, and Thayer Tavormina had a 2.89 ERA and 56 strikeouts. Vorlick returns as a closer, and junior Jace Stone is also expected to see a lot of action on the hill.
“They are carrying the bulk of the pitching load for us, and then we have a lot of other guys we know we can depend on,” Maness said. “We do have pitching depth. You have to pitch first, and so far, we have done an exceptional job. Our team ERA is like 1.19.”
Sophomores Shep Cadwell and Cooper Gaskins are splitting time at catcher. Junior Cody Landis has moved into the starting shortstop position, while Hayes and junior Chase Lewis are splitting time at second base. Waring is the team’s first baseman, and Vorlick handles the hot corner.
Morlando anchors the outfield. Messina, senior Alex Wellman and juniors Banks Knight and Tyler Thomas will also see a lot of action in the grass.
“We are starting to play better defense,” Maness said. “Going into the season, I was really concerned with how we would be defensively, but we are getting better every day. We do still have room to improve.”
Cooper Hughie, Cade Brown, Cody Landis, Paul Kreise, Colton Ceglia, Gage Aikns, Ethan Crowe, Louden Fachko and Carter Gullotti provide depth at various positions.
Summerville handed Dutch Fork a 10-0 loss March 16 at Green Wave Park. Hayes pitched a complete-game shutout. Summerville had home runs from Vorlick and Waring.
“We had some explosive innings back to back,” Maness said. “We swung the bats pretty well today, so I’m pleased with that.”
Summerville hosts Hanahan at 6:30 p.m. March 18. The Wave travels to Stall March 21 and returns home to host James Island at 6:30 p.m. March 22.
