A longtime Lexington High School baseball assistant will lead another Midlands program next spring.

Wildcats’ pitching coach Robert Hendrix was named the new head baseball coach at Spring Valley High School. He replaces Matt Hill, who went 21-32 the past 2 seasons at the helm after 8 seasons as a Vikings’ assistant.

Hendrix served 9 seasons at Lexington. He spent 3 years as junior varsity pitching coach before moving up to varsity in 2014.

“Coach Hendrix is an extremely knowledgeable baseball coach and very passionate about the coaching profession,” Lexington head coach Brian Hucks said. “He has a great relationship with the players and knows how to get the best out of them.”

Spring Valley is seeking its first winning season since 2013.

“He will bring energy and enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge,” said Hucks, who will seek out a replacement. “He has been a major factor in all the success we have had at Lexington and he is ready to be the figure head of the Spring Valley program.

River Bluff promotes Cobb to girls’ hoops head coach

After moving up to the varsity assistant ranks this season, Candice Cobb is now the head coach of the River Bluff girls’ basketball program.

She takes over for Brad McKinney, who helped orchestrate 1 of the biggest turnarounds in S.C. High School League girls’ basketball. After going winless the year before and entering the 2019-20 season with a 45-game losing streak in region play, the Lady Gators won a programrecord 17 games, placed 2nd in Region 5-5A behind Lexington and advanced to the 3rd round of the Class 5A playoffs for the 1st time in school history.

McKinney is moving over to the men’s tennis team, previously led by Brian Lim. Lim said he will remain as girls’ tennis coach, whom he’s led to Class 5A titles in 2 of the last 3 years, as well as assume additional duties as assistant athletic director.

“Being a part of the River Bluff High School women’s program has always been a dream of mine,” Cobb said. “I am ecstatic for the opportunity to translate everything I have learned to this program and cannot wait to see the outcome.”

A graduate of Seneca High School, where she earned All-Region honors in 2005 and 2006, Cobb started out as a middle school coach at Meadow Glenn Middle School.

Despite graduating Lexington Chronicle Player of the Year and All-State guard Japonica Wilson, the Lady Gators return 8 players led by rising freshman Samira Khalil.

“My outlook for the program is to challenge the girls academically as well as physically,” Cobb said. “It is important to me that all of my players are great teammates on the court, but also great students in the classroom. This experience is not only about their personal growth, but serving as role models for our (future) players.”