James Island claims the #1 spot in the rankings after their season ended with a 10-7 win over Laurens in the SCHSL AAAA Final to bring home the school's first baseball state championship since 1996.  

The Trojans had an outstanding season capped off by a dominant playoff run, going 8-1 in postseason play. Their lone postseason loss came in Game 1 of the Lower State Final, suffering a 7-1 defeat to North Myrtle Beach. James Island won consecutive elimination games (13-2, 12-2) to advance to the State Championship Series, where they swept Laurens in two games.   

Head Coach Matt Spivey led the team to a 29-3 overall record, where their 2024 campaign began at the 2024 PBR Shipyard Showdown, which Coach Spivey says gave his team “a good deal of confidence of confidence as we moved throughout our season because we played some quality opponents.” 

However, the Trojans dealt with adversity in the state playoffs, as their starting center and left fielders collided in the opening round. Both players were forced to miss over a week of action. In Game 2, James Island used key performances from freshmen Cooper Jones and Trip Ostergard to bring home a key victory. 

Offensively,  Stow Rogers ('25 College of Charleston Commit) led the team with five homers on the season, while Jake Amman and Taj Marchand filled out the rest of the top of the batting order. 

The Trojans’ pitching staff was headlined by Kyle Stock (‘24 Coker Commit) and Collin Anderson, who combined for 16 wins. Coach Spivey says the team’s goal for pitching success was “celebrating 60-60 performances. 60% strikes, 60% first-pitch strikes. We knew if we could do that, we’d find success.” 

The combination of the Trojans' complete lineup from 1 through 9 and consistent performers on the mound led them to be a season-long championship contender and the overall #1 team in South Carolina.