LEXINGTON COUNTY BLOWFISH

At the Oct. 24 World Series Luncheon at Lexington County Baseball Stadium, the Lexington County Blowfish co-owner Bill Shanahan put an emphasis on winning in 2019. The Blowfish had their worst record since moving to Lexington in 2015, and the front office has already taken steps to make sure that it will be just a blip on their baseball radar. This opened the door for Shawn Torbett to become the next pitching coach for the Blowfish. A native West Virginian, he has lived in Lexington County for nearly 20 years. In that time, he has coached at Lexington, Brookland-Cayce, and A.C. Flora high schools. You can add Gilbert to that list as well, the school where he still educates but no longer coaches baseball. “I’m very excited to be part of the Blowfish,” he said. “it’s just a great opportunity for me,” “It’s another opportunity to work with these college guys, help them improve their game, and put a winning product on the field for this great organization.” The pitching staff struggled for the Blowfish last season, ending 2018 with a Coastal Plain League-worst 6.38 team earned run average. Much of that scoring occurred early on in games, typically within the first three innings. So how does Torbett believe that can be changed this summer? “A lot of it is about mindset,” he said. “We have to help develop that mindset that when we get here, we have a job to do. Even though, they’re at the collegiate level, they have room to grow. I’m going to lead by example with my work ethic, because that work ethic is crucial to helping them improve.” To put it plainly, the Blowfish staff believes they have found the intensity level to mold a winning pitching staff from the starters to the bullpen. With one pitcher (Jacob Rye) officially returning, and verbal commitments from Jon Scott and Brett Fulk, Torbett will have a chance to prove his abilities quickly by using some of the talent from the 2018 squad. You can hear more about the new coaching hire and other Blowfish news by listening to the Inside The Fish Tank Podcast released each week by the team. In addition to re-signing of Rye, Blowfish general manager Theo Bacot announced as well as the signing of catcher James McConnon of St. Joseph’s University and first baseman Houston Wright of Gaffney, currently playing for Spartanburg Methodist College. Bacot also said the team has received verbal commitments from Lexington High graduates catcher Jared Kirven and shortstop Josh Asbill. The Blowfish open their regular season May 30 against the Forest City Owls. The full 2019 schedule is now available at www.goblowfishbaseball.com.

The season of the ‘Fair’

The Coastal Plain League baseball franchise announced next season’s plans during the “World Series Luncheon” in the Lexington County Stadium VIP room. This year’s season-long theme will play homage to the 150th anniversary of the South Carolina State Fair. As part of the “Lexington County Fair”, the Blowfish will create County Fair-themed jerseys, as well as sell carnival-related food and drink and hold games throughout the summer. For more information about the “Lexington County Fair”, visit www.goblowfishbaseball.com, call (803) 254-FISH on visit Blowfish on Main in Lexington.