For the 3rd straight year, the Lexington County Blowfish will have a different manager in the dugout.

Fico Kondla, a former Coker College standout and Newberry College assistant, takes over a team coming off its 1st winning season in 4 years. He inherits a roster rich in local talent as well as an organization committed to producing a winner in Lexington.

“They already have a winning tradition,” said Kondla following the May 5 team luncheon. “I want to build on the winning tradition and bring in the type of guys that play the game the right way and hopefully, we’ll win a lot of ballgames.”

Among the incoming talent are former Chronicle Country standouts now with the Clemson Tigers. Pitcher Ty Olenchuk, a multi-sport state champion at Dutch Fork, and Ricky Williams of River Bluff join a potentially potent lineup with outfielder David Cromer (Lexington), pitchers Aaron White (Irmo) and Parker Whittle and Cade Austin (both of Chapin) and infielder Travis Elliott (Gilbert) and Jared Kirven (Lexington).

“I’m excited to have guys that know the meaning of Lexington and that grew up and were born and raised here in Lexington and played right across the street over there (at Ballpark Road baseball field) and take a little pride in Lexington, that it’s not just a normal town to them” Kondla said. “They have their heart poured into this town and I’m excited for these guys to come out here and showcase their talents.”

Assistant coach Matthew Ribera has also helped to bring in University of Texas pitchers Caden Noah and Will Swope to strengthen the rotation.

“I think we’ve got a good group coming in,” Kondla said. “Obviously, everyone likes their roster on paper. But I think we’ve got a lot of talented kids coming in. Whether they’re local, whether they’re coming from out of state, I’m really excited for the product we’re going to be able to put on the field.”

Kondla is especially excited about the pitching talent, particularly players like Olenchuk and Williams. He plans to “give them the ball a lot” this summer and expects them to “throw strikes and get outs.”

Having experience in the Coastal Plain League as an assistant for the back-to-back Pettit Cup champion Morehead City Marlins, Kondla is prepared for the Southern Division.

“I’ve been in this league for 3-4 years,” he said. “In my opinion, I think this is one of the hardest regions in the CPL. Savannah Bananas, Macon Bacon, Spartanburgers and Florence (which is currently holding a fan poll for a new nickname to replace Red Wolves), they’re typically really good contenders in this league.

The Blowfish open preseason training May 22 although he expects most of his Division I players to report later as they compete in regionals and NCAA tournament. They open play May 26 with an exhibition home game against Catawba Valley Stars.