The Lexington County Blowfish’s 2024 regular season will span 64 days this season. The year began on May 24 with an Opening Day matchup against the Macon Bacon and will conclude against the Forest City Owls on July 27.

But the player recruitment process is a year-round affair for the Coastal Plain League ball club, which aims to build a community and develop local talent.

Lexington County Blowfish general manager Tony Baldwin said the team’s roster is nearly complete by the late fall – with the flexibility to add more players in the spring should some prospects hit an innings limit or suffer an injury during their college season.

“We really start putting the roster together in late August,” Baldwin said. “Usually, by November, we have a very good idea of what the shell is going to be for the season.”

He added that the underlying strategy behind the Blowfish’s roster construction is to find prospects who can play “at the next level,” whether that be Minor League Baseball or beyond.

“Some of them do come to us already as contributors,” Baldwin said. “Some of them need a little bit more polishing, and that’s really what summer baseball is for.”

The Blowfish’s 2024 roster includes more than a dozen players hailing from Lexington County and surrounding areas, many of whom have earned significant playing time with their respective college programs.

Catcher Ashby Vining, a Gilbert High School alumnus, played two seasons at Coker University before transferring to St. Peter’s, where he appeared in 53 games, hit .303 and drove in a team-high 49 runs in 2024.

Outfielder Thomas Powell committed to the University of South Carolina after graduating from River Bluff High School but eventually transferred to North Greenville, where he hit .303 and earned a .794 OPS across 40 contests this year.

Other Blowfish players from Lexington County may not have contributed much during their freshman campaigns but are members of elite baseball programs in the Carolinas. Catcher Ty Marshall played for a Clemson squad that competed in an NCAA Tournament Super Regional this month, and infielder Walker Mitchell spent his debut college campaign with Coastal Carolina.

“We do have a really good track record of bringing home some of the guys who go out and play at places like Clemson, Coastal Carolina, wherever it may be … but they want to come home for the summer,” Baldwin said. “We’re just a really good spot for them.”

Baldwin said the team does not restrict recruitment to just South Carolina, though. This year’s Blowfish team features out-of-state players from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama and Michigan.

“It doesn’t really matter where they’re playing. It doesn’t matter what level they’re playing at,” Baldwin said. “If they’re quality young men and quality baseball players, then we’re definitely going to have a chance to look at them.”

It also does not restrict its roster to just newcomers, as many players are returning to the Blowfish for their second, and, in some cases, third, season. These players opted to play another season because of the opportunity to defend the team’s Coastal Plain League title and the relationships they developed with head coach KC Brown, Baldwin said.

“We have a really young head coach who connects with players very well,” Baldwin said. “When we made the decision that KC was coming back, that was – first of all, an easy decision – and it was an easy decision for a lot of guys to sign on right away.”

Baldwin said being a member of the Lexington County Blowfish provides players with many benefits, such as living close to Lake Murray and having off days spread throughout the summer. But it also allows them to be integrated into a tight-knit, passionate baseball community

“There are a lot of baseball teams that just play baseball and host baseball games, but we really like to engage with the community and make them understand this is their hometown team where they can enjoy [themselves],” Baldwin said. “We’re on a first-name basis, obviously, with our ticket holders and many others who come from the community … That’s super important not as part of the underbelly of what Blowfish baseball is.”