LEXINGTON COUNTY BLOWFISH

The Lexington County Blowfish welcome in a new head coach for the 2018 baseball season. Marshall McDonald takes the reins of the club after Coach Johnathon Johnson resigned to pursue other opportunities.

Marshall is currently an assistant coach with the Presbyterian Blue Hose. With Opening Night just one week away, Mc-Donald sat down with The Chronicle to discuss the 2018 season.

Every coach has a philosophy when it comes to the game of baseball. In the early 2000s, former University of South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner was known for wanting to put two men on base and hit the 3-run homer.

Coach McDonald shares a bit of that philosophy.

“We’re going to be aggressive, but on a game by game basis,” Marshall told me. “I love hitting doubles and home-runs, don’t get me wrong. But, we’ll lay down a bunt if the situation calls for it. I think you’ll see the ball flying all over the yard this summer though.”

The team hasn’t hit the practice field, but coach McDonald was confident in what type of team fans will see this summer.

“This roster was well thought out and well put together,” he said. “I believe we have a solid pitching staff full of guys who can throw strikes. A bunch of our pitchers can progress and improve their game. We have hitters who can put the barrel on the ball and move runners around. We’ll see how we progress throughout the season.”

Summer league collegiate baseball is a lot different when it comes to the normal baseball plans of a college coach. It’s a new area for a lot of the 2018 Blowfish players, and coach Mc-Donald understands that.

“I want our players to enjoy the Lexington community, meet our fans, meet new people, and enjoy everything Lexington has to offer,” McDonald said.

There’s always the expectations of improved performance each season. The worst start in team history at 0-8 prevented the Blowfish from making the playoffs last season, so Marshall has one goal in mind.

“We want to win (The Petitt Cup),” he said. “That should be the goal of every team in every sport. But in baseball, anybody can beat anyone on any given day.”

He’s spurred turnarounds as an assistant coach. This season, the Blue Hose squad defeated South Carolina 7-4.

“That was a fun night for us,” Marshall said with a chuckle. “USC is a great program, Coach (Mark) Kingston is a fantastic coach, and I’m glad they’ve been able to start putting it all together down the stretch.”

It appears the Blowfish have an aggressive coach who wants to get runners on base and get them home in bunches. There’s always a renewed energy when it comes to a new season, especially with a new coach.

The Blowfish should be a fun team to watch and cheer for this season with Coach Marshall McDonald sending in the signals. It all begins May 31 at the stadium against the Forest City Owls.

Blowfish News

The Lexington County Blowfish are holding several events leading into Thursday’s season-opener.

On Saturday, the team will hold its annual host family Meet Your Blowfish Player Pizza Party at 6 p.m. The host families are considered an integral part of the Blowfish organization as they provide a summer home for the players.

The following day, season ticket holders will have an opportunity to take batting practice with the 2018 team. On Monday, the annual Blowfish Alumni vs. current Blowfish team game will take place at 7:05 p.m.

On Opening Night, the first Thirsty Thursday wil take place. It will be 1/2 off Bud, Bud Light and Stella. Fans can also check out a 1996 Dale Earnhardt Signature Series Monte Carlo that will be on display!

On June 2, the first “Concert in the Sky” Fireworks Show will take place following the matchup against Forest City. Kids can come down on the field before the game and play catch with the Blowfish players from 6-6:30pm.

For more information, visit www.blowfishbaseball.com or call (803) 254-FISH.