Dillon, Latta, and Lake View were all ranked in the top 10 in the recent South Carolina Baseball Coaches preseason baseball polls.

In Class AA, Dillon was ranked seventh in the state. Last season, Dillon claimed the District VIII title but fell to Loris in the Lower State bracket.

Bishop England took first place, with Chesnee in second. Chesnee is the defending state champ, and Bishop England finished as state runner-up in 2013.

Liberty was ranked third, followed by Mid-Carolina, Loris, and Waccamaw. Ninety-Six took eighth, followed by Aynor, and Chesterfield and Pelion tied for tenth.

In Class A, the Latta Vikings were ranked second in the state behind St. Joseph’s. Latta finished as the 2013 state runner-up, falling 2-1 to St. Joseph’s in the state championship series.

Fox Creek took third place and Lewisville was ranked fourth with the Lake View Wild Gators in fifth place. Lake View finished the 2013 season in as the lower state runner-up, falling to Latta for the lower state title.

Dixie was ranked sixth, followed by Southside Christian, East Clarendon, and Johnsonville in ninth place. Lamar and McBee tied for the tenth place spot.

In Class 3A, AC Flora topped the list, and in 4A, Sumter was ranked number one.

The baseball season officially begins on March 10, and all our local teams will participate in preseason tournaments next week.