Pacers get push into rankings by Davis

Former Greenbrier Star Robert Davis is one of seven former Columbia County players on the USC Aiken baseball team this season.

The 5-11 195-pound junior catcher/first baseman, however, has set himself apart so far in 2005.

He leads the Pacers in hitting at .439 through 12 games. He also tops the team with six doubles and 14 RBI. On Feb. 26, Davis was 2-3, including his second home run of the season, and drove in four runs to lead the Pacers to a 6-3 win over nationally ranked Catawaba College.

The Pacers completed a three-game sweep of Catawaba on Sunday to run their record to 9-3 on the season. The start is the best for USC Aiken in 10 years. Thanks in large part to Davis' hot start, the Pacers also made an appearance in this week's Collegiate Baseball Magazine's National Rankings at No. 30.

Other county Pacers

A few other county natives are also off to a good start for the Pacers:

Brandon Barenie (Evans) Hitting .357 with 2 HR and 10 RBI.

Steve Dunham (Evans) 1-1 record with an ERA of 3.91 and 22 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched.

Nick Wandless (Greenbrier) Has an ERA of 2.79 and two saves in six appearances.

Evans atop poll

Evans Coach Ricky Beale returns just about everyone from last season's baseball squad, including all of his pitching. Because of this, expectations at Evans are high this season.

Well, locals aren't the only people who feel that Evans will be tough to beat on the diamond in 2005.

In the Preseason Gasports.com Baseball Rankings, the Knights find themselves in the top spot, ranked No. 1 in AAAA.

The Knights are not the only county team to crack the poll.

All three Columbia County AAAA teams are among the top 10.

Greenbrier is at No. 5 and Lakeside is ranked No. 7.