Wando catcher bidding to make national team

Wando's Nick Ciuffo is one of the top freshman baseball players in South Carolina. The left-handed hitting catcher also is in an elite group nationwide.

The 14-year-old Ciuffo is one of 216 players nationwide, ages 14 and 15, who have been invited to the USA Baseball's National Team Identification Series (NTIS), which will be held Sept. 17-20 in Cary, N.C.

If Ciuffo makes the cut, he will be invited to compete in the 16-U national team trials, which will be held Oct. 11-14 at St. Thomas University in Miami. The top 18 players who survive that cut will represent the United States in the Pan American Games in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The 16-U Pan Am Games will be held Oct. 17-24.

Ciuffo, who also plays for the Diamond Devils 18-U travel team, was one of four players from the Palmetto State in his age group who were invited after participating in the Mid-Atlantic tryouts, which consisted of players from South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. The other players from the Palmetto State who will compete in Cary include sophomore David Houser from A.C. Flora, freshman Jake Martin of Bluffton and freshman Reed Rohlman of Byrnes.

Ciuffo will play on one of the 12 teams in his age group. Each team will play three 9-inning games, and will receive training and instruction from USA Baseball coaches.

Wildcats get offensive

The West Ashley Wildcats are 2-0 heading into Friday night's game at Wando. And if you're coach Bobby Marion, you have to be happy with the team's defense, which has allowed only 18 points.

But what grabs the Wildcats fans' attention is the team's offense. The Wildcats have scored 84 points, and have not missed a beat, even though two starting offensive linemen, brothers Brandon and Deandre Shell, transferred to Goose Creek. The offense has been balanced with quarterback K.J. Cohen passing for 305 yards and six touchdowns, while Rodney Scott, Cohen and Derek Johnson have combined for 445 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Cohen has five capable targets who can catch the ball: Donavon Burns, Preston Bibbler, Maurice Griffin, Johnson and Scott. Burns leads the team with four catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns.

West Ashley opened last season with a 2-0 record, but won only one game the rest of the way. The Wildcats are much more experienced this year with 15 starters back, including eight on offense.

Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5592.