New sponsor gives boost to Regions series tourney

The final event on this year's Regions Bank Amateur Series will be played at Jones Creek Golf Club Aug. 21-22. I highlighted the event in a recent column.

//

Since then, the golf tournament has received a shot in the arm in the form of a new sponsor: Gordon Chevrolet.

Thanks to the dealership's involvement, the first-place prize in both divisions (men and seniors) will be $750, according to Jones Creek's director of operations, Gregg Hemann, who has taken over this year as the executive director of the Regions series.

There is still time to sign up to play.

The cost is $125 and includes a practice round. Call Jones Creek at (706) 860-4228 to sign up.

Belcher has solid showing

When it comes to summer baseball leagues, the Cape Cod League is king. Players who perform well on the Cape tend to soar up most draft projections.

Former Greenbrier High School star Nolan Belcher certainly did not hurt his cause this summer. Though he might not have gotten the innings he would have liked, Belcher's performance was stellar.

In seven appearances and one start, Belcher was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He also struck out 15 batters in just 9Q innings of work.

Most importantly, he boasted a 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, yielding just three walks.

Belcher will be entering his junior season with South Carolina, the reigning NCAA national champion. He should be counted on heavily next season for the Gamecocks, who lost their top two starting pitchers, Sam Dyson and Blake Cooper, to the draft. Dyson went in the fourth round, while Cooper went in round 12.

Scott joins staff at Greenbrier

Columbia County's all-time leading scorer in boys basketball has a new gig.

Former Lakeside star Matt Scott, who scored more than 2,000 points there, will serve as an assistant coach for Greenbrier's varsity boys squad under head coach Casey Heckathorn.

That job was the post Eric Marshall was set to fill last year before collapsing and dying of an enlarged heart while playing basketball.

It is ironic because Scott and Marshall go hand-and-hand in terms of area basketball.

The two are easily among the top four or five players to ever play in the county. They had some head-to-head wars that packed gyms and wowed fans.

Scott found out about a possible opening this summer while coaching AAU ball and started talking with Heckathorn. Luckily things worked out, and now Greenbrier will have the best outside shooter in county history working with its players on a daily basis.