Three area high school baseball teams in preseason polls

Three area baseball teams will start the season next month ranked among the best in the state.

Carolina Forest, Waccamaw and Aynor each appeared in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association’s preseason polls, released over the weekend. The Panthers opened at No. 3 in Class AAAA. Waccamaw was No. 2 in Class AA and the Blue Jackets were seven spots down at No. 9.

Carolina Forest was probably the surprise of the 2015 season. Jack Jolly’s team finished second in Region VI-AAAA and then made a run to the Lower State finals, where it fell to eventual state champion Wando. This spring, at least six future college players will be in a Panthers’ uniform. The list includes College of Charleston signee Jakob Frishmuth and Ryan Gold, who inked with Coastal Carolina after transferring into the area last year.

Waccamaw and Aynor each also qualified for the Lower State finals. Both teams were eliminated by Bishop England; however, each also returned the bulk of its roster from last season. The Warriors will have three returning Toast of the Coast honorees – pitcher Tucker Perry, catcher Levi Almond and outfielder Connor Eckard.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Three area high school baseball teams in preseason polls."