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Batesburg-Leesville vs Saluda Scout Blog

April 28, 2025
Sean Smith
PB of SC

Batesburg-Leesville  8     Saluda 2

Under the lights and before a packed crowd, Batesburg-Leesville and Saluda faced off in a high-stakes matchup with major playoff implications. From the opening pitch, the energy was electric as both teams fought with determination and urgency.

Pitching dominated the evening, with both staffs executing at a high level—pounding the strike zone, mixing speeds, and keeping hitters off balance. Every at-bat was a battle, and strong defensive performances on both sides kept the game tight throughout. Underclassmen stepped up in critical moments, while seasoned arms showcased poise and leadership under pressure.

In the end, Batesburg-Leesville’s resilience and execution proved decisive, as they secured the victory and captured the region championship. It was a contest defined by grit, precision, and a clear postseason intensity.

Check out the notes and video highlights below for a full breakdown of the standout performances from this memorable night.

Braydon Hallman, 2026, RHP/SS, Batesburg-Leesville

Uncommitted. Athletic, projectable frame with some present strength in lower at 6-2 190-pounds, more room to fill out for the right-handed hitter. In the box, stands mostly upright with flex in knees, weight evenly distributed and relaxed, hands between shoulder and ear level with a diagonal back elbow. Good sink into back hip with a well-timed toe tap load, quick hands in zone with a downward path that finds good contact points. Shows the ability to decelerate barrel after footstrike and work backside, and can also tap into some power sending a deep lineout to LF in an earlier AB. Good chance there’s more pop in the tank. Like the upside in the bat. Also threw a CG on the bump with 6 hits, 2 walks, and 8 punchouts on 96 pitches. Good repeatable mechanics with good lower half mobility. A tough look with short AA and a H3Q slot, repeats path and arm speed well. FB was up to 83 (80-83) that regularly got late swings up in zone, but ran into some trouble with base hits when locating middle-middle. Also snapped off a pretty CB with depth and sweep at 68-69 from same slot. Good all-around ballplayer that impacts multiple facets. 



Jack Bouknight, 2026, OF, Bateburg-Leesville

Good frame with lean strength, right-handed hitter, dual-sport athlete. In the box stands strong and balanced with a slight shoulder tilt dropping the backside arm, good strong lower half triggers load, raw movements pre-swing, but achieves solid hitting position swinging down on the ball, and showing solid hand speed. Still finding consistent mechanics but has raw strength and power.


John Sawyer, 2025, 1B, Batesburg-Leesville

Big frame with present strength, left-handed hitter. Stands tall in the box with weight evenly distributed, hands are just below ear level and a higher back elbow. Simple load/stride with good timing at footstrike, creating handstretch before releasing barrel. Solid bat speed in zone and can tap into some present pop with his strong frame. 


Brayden Williams, 2026, OF, Saluda

Wiry, athletic frame with more room to add on. In the box, stands mostly upright with weight preset on back leg, hands held high by ear level with a high back elbow. Good first move with sink into back hip, steps outside just a touch so can be off balance and swing gets long but makes up for it with quick hands and a mostly flat path. Good runner on basepaths manufacturing a run himself swiping 2nd and then 3rd, and advanced home on an errant throw. Spark plug kind of player.