Record not on the mind as Socastee baseball bests Pleasure Ridge Park

Pleasure Ridge Park wasn’t going to scare Socastee.

When the two met in the final day of pool play of the Mingo Bay Baseball Classic Thursday, the Braves knew next to nothing about the Panthers’ 2013 Kentucky championship or their No. 3 preseason ranking in the Bluegrass State this year.

And even if they had, it would have been considered just another day at the park.

Coach Curtis Hudson crafted a schedule that would push his players against some of the best, not inflate a record or state ranking. Case in point, Thursday’s 8-5 victory over Pleasure Ridge Park means the Braves own a .500 record. Five of the team’s eight wins, however, have come in its five region games.

“It doesn’t really bother us because we’re winning the games that count,” senior Dylan Thompson said. “It’s not like we’re trying to lose the games we do. We’re not playing up to our potential. We’re not getting ready. We’re just not mentally there yet.”

Maybe Thursday’s victory was another sign the Braves are getting closer. Without Thompson or the team’s other ace (Austin Schmitz) on the mound, Socastee’s offense came to life.

It scored three in the second before adding five more in the third, sending 18 batters to the plate in those two innings alone.

It was that sort of offensive outburst that allowed it to defeat Summerville 15-9 a week ago in the Diamond Invitational at Blythewood, also without Thompson or Schmitz pitching. The Green Wave, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA and included in multiple national top-25 polls this week, battered the Braves 14-4 back in March.

“That night,” Hudson said, “we got exposed.”

If that’s the case, the tangible growth gives baseball fans belief the Braves could make a run in the playoffs, especially if they go on to win the region and secure home-field advantage for the District playoffs.

For Hudson, that end game is a million times more important than a winning record, a state ranking or even the possibility of a confidence hit stemming from carrying a losing record in the second half of the season. He’s backed it up the last two weeks during the stacked tournaments, refusing to push Thompson or Schmitz in order to pick up a few more wins.

“When we play them in the tournaments, I keep them on a weekly schedule,” Hudson said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, but we’re going to throw them because we want them to stay on a once-a-week schedule. All the other games, we throw all these other guys.”

Hudson isn’t just keeping his two best arms on a regular schedule. He’s also continuing to build for the future.

“I think I’ve proven this at Wilson and I’ve proven this here and I proved this at Tech: We’ve got depth,” Hudson said, referring to previous coaching positions at Wilson High School and Florence-Darlington Tech. “We’re not just nine people. Yes, Dillon and Austin are blessed a little more than our other pitchers. But the other guys are pretty good.”

Around the state, there are only a handful of teams atop their region with an overall losing record. At the Class AAAA level, Socastee is it.

The Braves have a two-game lead over Sumter midway through the Region VI-AAAA slate, and they could clinch before the last week of the regular season if all goes right. That same week, Hudson’s team will also square off with Summerville for a third time. Hudson said his pitching schedule is set, and the Braves have no intentions of using either of their aces in that April 23 match-up against the Green Wave, which will be played at the College of Charleston.

Even a string of victories and/or an undefeated region run might be enough to warrant the state ranking from the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association. Regardless, it has zero bearing on the Braves’ playoff positioning or their belief in their own abilities.

After all, Hudson pointed out that his 2002 Wilson team started 10-9 before winning 14 straight and the Class AAA state title. His players have adopted the build-for-the-postseason attitude.

“Our objective is to try to win a state championship,” Thompson said. “I can honestly say rankings don’t mean too much to most of us. I’m not worried about rankings. I’d love to say that our team was one to watch. But I think we are, though. Even moving up from AAA, I think we’re still a team to look forward to.

“People throw their best pitchers against us. We’re still first in the region.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Record not on the mind as Socastee baseball bests Pleasure Ridge Park."