Indians player Nick Smiley helps lead Post 109 to state champonship

(Nick Smiley 1st player on left, number 22)

Current USC Salkehatchie Indians baseball player (C) Nick Smiley sophomore from Gaffney, South Carolina, helped lead Gaffney American Leagion Post 109 to the South Carolina State Championship on Friday. Congratulations to Nick and the entire Gaffney Post 109.

Follow the Indians on Twitter!!

Follow all the Indians action on Twitter at the address below! During the games we will "LIVE" tweet the scores and all the game action!!! Join today and follow the Indians Nation!

http://twitter.com/#!/SalkAthletics

Former USC Salkehatchie men's soccer standout awarded soccer scholarship to Emmanuel College

(Ryan Dickson- in middle)

Former USC Salkehatchie men's soccer standout, Ryan Dickson has been awarded a soccer scholarship to Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia.

Emmanuel College is a member of the Southern States athletic conference and a member of the NAIA.

Banners added around USC Salkehatchie athletic fields~

USC Salkehatchie has added new banners on the back road behind the west campus. The banners on the the light poles around the soccer field and extending to the Indians baseball field. Next time you are on campus check out the new editions.

Check out the NEW and Improved USC Salkehatchie athletics website~

The athletic website address has stayed the same www.uscsalkathletics.com but it now has an entire new look with the help of Athletics Special Projects Director Mrs. Dawn Rizer.

The site as always will have all the latest Indians athletics news, look for more changes coming soon!

So, go check it out today and as always, GO INDIANS!

Drayton brings versatility to Rattlers offense

FAMU basketball transfer Nate Drayton interacts with children on the playground of a school the Salkehatchie Community College basketball team spent its Friday's reading and hanging out with in Walterboro, S.C. / Special to the Democrat

By St. Clair Murraine
Democrat staff writer
Filed Under
FAMU
FAMU Men's Basketball

Being 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, the natural thinking is that Nate Drayton will be spend a lot of time in the post for the Florida A&M men's basketball team.

But realizing two of the least-advertised facts about the junior college transfer, coach Clemon Johnson said Drayton might find himself in multiple roles in whatever offensive scheme the Rattlers play next season.
"With Nate's versatility to put the ball on the floor, shoot the 3-point shot and also play in the post, I can move him around," Johnson said. "He is an individual I might decide to move to a small

forward every now and then."
Drayton is one of four big players signed by the Rattlers, filling a void that the team had last season.

The versatility that Drayton became known for in the latter part of his career at Salkehatchie Community College in Walterboro, S.C., has been work in progress. It wasn't until he attended a camp after graduating from Grove High School in Savannah, Ga., that he realized he could effectively do more than hang around the post, Drayton said.

"It felt like I could really hang on the court with big-time players," he said. "It (the camp) did a lot for my confidence and it made me more happy to play the game. I didn't enjoy just being stuck in the post because it got kind of boring. I had to step out and show what I can do."
He got even better at playing anywhere on the floor in his sophomore

season with the Indians. Knocking down 3-pointers became easier and during the second half of his final JUCO season he twice scored double-doubles, scoring more than 20 points in each game, with 20 rebounds.
"Nate has a great touch and he can shoot the ball from the 3-point line (and) he can shoot it with great confidence," said Travis Garrett, coach at Salkehatchie Community College. "He didn't take a lot of threes but when he took them he was very consistent. He has a very good first step as big as he is. He hasn't reached his basketball ceiling yet. He has a lot of upside and once he is great shape I think the sky is the limit for him."

Drayton said he began to experiment with facing the basket because he wanted to do more than simply dunking, as he did when he was at Grove High.
"I just started doing a lot of ball-handling drills and I got better at it," he said.


He pushed for perfection every time was on the court, Drayton said. Sometimes he tried too hard, though, Garrett said. So much so that it affected his performance on the floor.

"He really tried to do everything the right way and he is very hard on himself. When he did that, I think sometimes that took away from him being the best he can be because he sometimes became robotic because he doesn't want to make mistakes."
A few conversations with Drayton about trying too hard changed that. Then, the double-doubles started to occur more frequently. He even had a few games in which his 3-point scoring made a difference in the outcome of games for the Indians.

"He wasn't pushing the button," Garrett said, "just letting the game come to him."

USC Salkehatchie men's/women's soccer coach releases 2011 soccer schedule~

To view schedule larger, click on image. You will then be able to print~

Cooper practices with WNBA Lynx~

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/07/12/11/Lynx-help-prepare-with-male-competitors-/landing_lynx.html?blockID=538289&feedID=3697

Indians baseball news~

Blake Drew joins the Indians~

Highlight video of new USC Salkehatchie basketball recruit Mark Cooper Jr.~

Indians land 2011 Mr. Hoop Zone from the Myrtle Beach area~

Darlington's Sammie Davis has told WPDE NewsChannel 15 Sports that he will sign a national letter of intent on Monday to play at junior college USC Salkehatchie in Walterboro, South Carolina. Davis was voted 2011 Mr. Hoop Zone after leading the Falcons to the Class 3A Regon VI Championship.

Davis is a 6-foot-3 all-state selection. He averaged more than 15 points and seven rebounds a game duing his senior season at Darlington. He's known for his solid low post play, ability to run the floor and excellent mid-range jumper. He joins former high school teammate and two-time all-zoner Donnie James, who played with the Indians and has signed to play with Clafflin University next season.

Cox signs to play Indians softball~

USC Salkehatchie softball player wins national academic award~

Samantha Martin been awarded the National Junior College Athletic Association's Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Academics. This award was previously known as the NJCAA Academic All-American Award. Martin just graduated from USC Salkehatchie in May with her Associate's Degree completing her two years at USC Salk with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She was also named Female Athlete of the Year and USC Salkehatchie Outstanding Student for 2010-2011. Martin was a pitcher for the USC Salkehatchie softball team for her two years at USC Salkehatchie. She will be attending College of Charleston in the fall as a biology major.

Indian is one half of "Bash Brothers" for Post 4

Photo by Christopher Huff/T&D
Will Rimes, left, and Tyler Kirby have acccounted for 17 of Orangeburg Post 4's 26 home runs in 12 games. Post 4 opens the playoffs at home Tuesday

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer
Frank Leysath does not need to pinch himself at night to make sure he's not dreaming.

Reality is only a mouse click away at home when the Orangeburg Post 4 manager updated his team's statistics on Friday. A four-home-run barrage in the 15-8 win over Lexington Post 7 in the regular-season finale increased Post 4's total to 26 round-trippers in just 12 games.

Looking closer at the power numbers, the totals are concentrated between two players. Leading the way is second-year Post 4 catcher Will Rimes with 11 home runs, greater than the combined efforts of 14 of his 15 teammates, to go with 26 RBIs.

Standing in second in home runs (6) and RBIs (22) is Post 4 newcomer Tyler Kirby, a University of South Carolina Salkehatchie left fielder who played last year for West Columbia Post 79.

Together, the duo has put on an offensive display not seen during Leysath's tenure. With League 8 opponents having little success slowing down Rimes and Kirby, Chester Post 27 now faces the same task starting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mirmow Field for Game One of the American Legion playoffs.

Chester (9-7) placed third in League 5 and has won its last three games.

"Going into the playoffs, the teams that we're playing don't know us like these teams do," Rimes said. "In League 8, there are four teams and we play 12 games. Sooner or later, the teams are going to figure you out. In the playoffs, we're going in fresh. I don't know anything about them and they probably don't know a lot about us. So for a little while, I think it's going to benefit us."

Orangeburg's "Bash Brothers" are not just one-dimensional sluggers. Each has a low percentage of strikeouts, has drawn as many walks (13 for Rimes, 7 for Kirby) as home runs and is second and third, respectively, on the team in stolen bases.

"The hitting styles are totally different," Leysath said. "Will is just on pure power. I think Kirby, the fact that he played one year down at Salk, his hands to me are quicker than Will's and one thing Kirby does is you get two strikes on him, he shortens up his swing. He doesn't try to hit home runs. I'm not saying that he tries to hit a home run every time he comes to the plate. I don't think he does that. He just tries to put the ball in play. Will does that too, but you've got one kid that just has raw power in Rimes and you've got one kid who's got quick wrist and gets around on the ball. That's the way I see it."

Each player is also a major asset defensively as demonstrated Friday when they hooked up for a double play. With Lexington threatening in the top of the sixth, Kirby caught a fly ball by Archie Owens and fired the baseball back to Rimes at home plate to make the tag on a charging A.J. Hart.

Yet it's the long ball that has garnered Rimes and Kirby the most attention this season for Post 4 and it's an aspect of their game neither shies away from.

"I think there's a bunch of different type of baseball players," Kirby said. "You've got base hitters. You've got average hitters. On-base percentage hitters. Slugging percentage hitters. Small ball. People who steal bases. I think we've got all of that on the team, and we're just part of the slugging percentage. We can get up there and hit the ball a long way."

"We're lucky enough to be blessed with the talent that we have and all we're trying to do is keep building off of that," Rimes said. "There's no tomorrow. You wake up every day, you've got to be thankful with what you've got and (God) gave it to you. I look at it like he gave me this and he wants me to get bigger with it. I go every day, work out, hit baseballs and try to gain my power."

With his imposing 6-1, 226-pound frame and powerful swing, Rimes made an instant impression on Post 4 fans last year as he led the team with five home runs. After what Leysath candidly described as a lackluster season at Barnwell despite earning High School Sports Report All-State honors, Rimes returned to Orangeburg a different player.

"He came out here, he was a lot more relaxed," Leysath said. "I think he's actually enjoying playing baseball. I don't know if he enjoyed playing baseball in high school. I can't say that, but I think I'd be right on that. He's a year older and learned a lot from last year."



Read FULL STORY at : http://www.thetandd.com/sports/baseball/article_795b4c9c-a52e-11e0-a4ba-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1R9kvoYzZ

Happy 4th from the USC Salkehatchie athletic department~

Former player, current assistant coach Mark Henderson honored by North Charleston

Former USC Salkehatchie Indian player and current assistant coach Mark Henderson was honored by the city of North Charleston recreation department this weekend. Two other former USC Salkehatchie Indians, Jeremy Hackney and Perry Bowers were also honored.

Henderson, was named the "Pitcher of the Decade" by the recreation department and was honored with a plaque on their wall of players of the decade.

3 Indians sign with South Carolina State University~

Three former USC Salkehatchie Indians softball players recently signed national letters of intent to play softball for South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Leigha Hite (Gilbert, SC), Kandyce Ranew (Hampton, SC) and Marquita Wilson (Mount Pleasant, SC)

South Carolina State University competes in the MEAC conferance and is a member of the NCAA division 1.

Two Indians sign to play for Falcons next season~

Basketball coach Ken Spencer of St. Augustine's announced the signing of six players to national letter of intents Friday for the 2011-12 season.

The incoming class includes Chris Campbell, a 6-foot-6 forward from Cape Henry Collegiate School in Chesapeake, Va.; Daniel Clark, a 6-8 power forward from George Washington High in Danville, Va.; Tristan Harris, a 6-9 center from Wilmington Hoggard who played one year at Cape Fear Community College; Michael Murray, a 6-0 shooting guard from Covenant Christian Ministries Academy in Marietta, Ga.; and Chris Rhodes, a 5-10 guard from USC-Salkehatchie and Southside High in Greenville, S.C. and Tony Freeman, a 5-11 forward from USC-Salkehatchie and Southside High in Greenville, SC.