Dodds locked in at plate to open season

Wando center fielder Robbie Dodds is on a hot streak.

Not just any hot streak, but one that includes seven home runs in his first six games for the Warriors, the top-ranked baseball team in the state.

"I've never seen anything like it at the high school level," Wando coach Jeff Blankenship said. "Not even in youth leagues, when I was watching my players come up. It's one of those things. Robbie is swinging a telephone pole and everyone else is swinging a bat."

Dodds showed promise, if not power, from the plate last year. He batted .344, collecting 33 hits in 96 at-bats. He had 111 plate appearances but did not hit a home run. His slugging percentage was a respectable .427.

This spring he's off the charts, leading the Warriors in eight of the nine major offensive categories. He is batting .538 with a 1.500 slugging percentage. He has 39 total bases and only one strikeout for the Warriors, who own an 8-0 record.

Dodds credits a rigorous weightlifting program for his newfound strength. He added 10 pounds to his 6-0 frame and now weights 185.

"I just got in there and worked hard," he said. "I've been going at it since summer, and I've been hitting every day. I haven't tried to hit any balls out. I'm just trying to make contact. I really don't know how to explain all the home runs. I'm seeing the ball really well and I'm just putting the bat on the ball. I'm in one of those grooves."

Dodds went 0 for 3 in the season-opening game against Dorman in the International Paper Baseball Classic. After that, he was the toughest out of the tournament, getting eight hits in his next 10 at-bats. He hit four homers in the tournament, including one on the final day when he also pitched, allowing four hits and one run in four innings.

Dodds, who went 3 for 3 in the championship game against A.C. Flora, had eight hits in 13 at-bats in the four games for a .615 batting average. His slugging percentage was 1.615 and he drove in 11 runs.

He hasn't slowed down. He celebrated his mother Cassie's birthday on Monday with a pair of home runs in a 12-4 victory over Summerville.

Dodds, the grandson of former Mount Pleasant mayor Johnny Dodds, began the season hitting fifth in the lineup but now occupies the leadoff spot, which has been reserved for the team's best hitter during Blankenship's tenure.

"Part of our philosophy is hitting our best hitter in the top spot," Blankenship said. "It goes back to (Cole) Rakar and continued with (Drew) Cisco. He took over for Drew in the leadoff spot, and that's saying something because Drew is batting .500. Robbie has a real quiet swing and he explodes with his hands. The best thing about it is he can hit home runs and put down bunts."

As a pitcher, Dodds owns a 2-0 record and a 1.56 ERA. He has allowed nine hits and struck out five in nine innings.

The home runs are fine, but what Dodds really wants is the hardware. He's a senior and wants a state championship trophy. The Warriors came close last year with a No. 1 ranking heading into the Class AAAA state championship series. But Gaffney swept the best-of-three serie00s.

"We're just as good, if not a little better than we were last year," Dodds said. "We're a family, have good chemistry and there are no easy outs in this lineup. We're like brothers who want to help each other. We still have that bad taste in our mouths from last year."