Thaw of spring brings Sand Shark baseball

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Despite his Hall of Fame status, Rogers Hornsby has mostly faded from the modern baseball fan’s memory, having played his last game in 1937, but his spirit lives on in every baseball fan who lives by Hornsby’s famous quote.

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball,” Hornsby once said. “I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”

Thankfully for baseball lovers in the Lowco, spring tends to come early around here, and thanks to the USCB Sand Sharks, baseball season always arrives right on time.

The Sand Sharks were scheduled to hit the diamond at Hardeeville’s Richard Gray Sports Complex on Jan. 31 to begin a three-game series with perennial NCAA Division II power North Greenville — weather and field conditions permitting — and set off a 43-game schedule that includes 22 home games.

And if you’re unsure about jumping on the Sand Sharks’ bandwagon this spring, that would be fair after a 13-31 campaign that marked the program’s third straight losing season, but a roster overhaul bolstered by an influx of junior college transfers brings renewed promise.

Fifth-year USCB coach Ted Falkner said he and his staff had difficulty recruiting junior college standouts the past two seasons while the Sand Sharks were beginning their transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II, as the prospect of being unable to compete in the postseason during their career in the Lowco was a hard sell. With the Sand Sharks poised for full NCAA membership next year, that dealbreaker has been rendered moot, and Falkner brought in more than 20 junior college transfers to foster internal competition and bring more physicality.

The lineup will be almost unrecognizable, with only one regular starter returning in Sebastian Biggs, though catchers Terry Dean, Nikko Andre and Mitchell Singletary all return to present a deep group behind the plate.

Among the newcomers likely to make the biggest impact on offense are a pair of transfers from Illinois Central College — outfielder Luke Doty, who hit .324 with a .419 on-base percentage with five home runs and 29 stolen bases a year ago, and shortstop Noah Campbell, who batted .318 with 39 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 2024.

Another big addition is outfielder Cooper McDaniel, a multi-faceted player who hit .353 with a .412 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage last year at Southern Arkansas Tech, blasting nine homers with 42 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

The pitching staff returns a number of solid relief arms, including closer Ian Barnes, who was electric in a small sample before undergoing season-ending surgery, but the Sand Sharks will need some of their large crop of newcomers to step into big roles in the starting rotation.

Right-hander Cole Thomas was a workhorse at Illinois Central a year ago, making 10 starts among his 16 appearances and compiling a 4-4 record over 48 - innings, and left-hander Andrew Shanks threw 55 - innings across 18 games with seven starts for Shasta College in California, which also sent the Sand Sharks right-hander PJ Luebbers, who make seven starts in 13 appearances and worked 35 - innings for the Knights.

But the biggest addition might be two-way player Joe Turner, a 6-foot-4 outfielder and right-handed pitcher who was an all-region performer at Henry Ford Community College. Turner hit .398 with a .469 on-base and went 3-2 with a 3.71 ERA over 34 innings on the mound, so he should be an impactful bat in the middle of the lineup and a pivotal weekend arm.

Whether this group of journeymen can come together and help USCB turn the corner and climb the Peach Belt Conference standings is yet to be seen, but you’ll have to be at the ballpark to find out. And that’s never a bad thing.

Keep up with the USCB Sand Sharks with Sand Shark Rewind, airing Sundays or available on-demand anytime on the Lowco Media YouTube channel!

Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and is the founder of Lowco Sports. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.