Bishops, Wando among teams atop baseball rankings

The Bishop England baseball team has a state championship trophy and a reputation to prove it.

The Bishops captured the Class AA state title last spring and finished with a 28-2 record. Despite some big-time graduation losses, the Bishops check in at No. 1 in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association preseason poll.

"It's probably a little far-fetched," Bishops coach Bill Collier said of the ranking. "I'm glad we get the respect, but that ranking is based on what we accomplished last year. We had some big losses because of graduation. We're a young team and must mature quickly."

The Bishops aren't the only local team picked No. 1. Wando, loaded with veterans, holds the Class AAAA top spot.

Two more local teams are in the poll: Stratford is No. 9 in AAAA, Hanahan fifth in AA.

The Bishops lost catcher Brison Celek (South Carolina) and pitcher Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) to graduation. Solid second baseman Corey Forrester was expected to have a big role, but will begin the season on the disabled list.

Collier, who is 53-10 in two years at the school, is counting heavily on left-handed pitcher Jimmy Lindberg and sure-handed shortstop Alex Abrams to step their games up.

Lindberg scattered six hits and struck out 11 in 6 1/3 innings in the state championship victory against Chesnee.

Abrams provides leadership and baseball smarts. He will play at Furman next year.

There are some holes to fill. Collier hopes a sophomore will step up at catcher so he can keep Morgan Bastian in center. Bastian's brother, Drew, is one of the candidates for the No. 2 pitching job. Collier must also find replacements in right and center.

"We've got to replace some kids, but it won't be the first time we had to do that at Bishop England," said Collier, whose team is seeking its seventh state title in school history.

Wando is seeking an elusive first state title. The Warriors reached the State Championship Series last spring, but lost to Gaffney. Just about all the starters return. including right-handed pitcher Drew Cisco, rated the No. 17 senior in the country by Baseball America. He's mature beyond years and is headed to Athens to play for the Georgia Bulldogs if he's not playing professionally.

The team is extremely solid up the middle with shortstop Connor Bright, second baseman Jordan Eysen and center fielder Robbie Dodds.

One of the more interesting subplots of next week's tryouts will be the performance of Nick Ciuffo. He's a freshman catcher who has already committed to play for USC. But for now, he's just trying to make the Wando varsity team.

The Warriors will be tested early. They play in the International Paper Baseball Classic and will be joined in the AAAA bracket by Dorman, Carolina Forest and Spartanburg.

Cougar commitments

Two North Charleston football players have committed to play at the next level. Denzel Myers is headed to South Carolina State, while Corey Washington will attend Georgia Military College.

Myers, a three-time first-team All-Lowcountry selection, was 94-of-158 passing for 1,724 yards and 31 touchdowns. He carried 144 times for 1,224 yards and 19 TDs and caught 15 passes for 386 yards.

Myers had 49 tackles and six interceptions on defense. He had 23 career interceptions.

Corey Washington, a first-team All-Lowcountry pick, was 37-of-60 passing for 601 yards and eight TDs. The standout athlete caught 39 passes for 649 yards and 13 TDs. He rushed for 211 yards and two scores.

Both played in the North-South All-Star Football Game.

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