Panthers Dugout Inc.

05/24/2026

Panthers Dugout South Junior High Baseball officially wrapped up its inaugural 2026 season, and while the record only tells part of the story, the growth this team showed from start to finish tells the bigger one.

As a brand-new program competing at a higher level, growing pains were expected, but this group continued improving throughout the season and showed strong potential for the future. From the first half of the season to the second half, OPS improved from .747 to .818, slugging percentage rose from .292 to .358, and quality at-bats increased from 43.18% to 49.64%. Pitching and catching also made major strides, with team strike percentage improving from 46% to 58%, walks dropping from 52 to 31, strikeouts increasing from 38 to 61, passed balls reduced from 32 to 18, and caught stealing percentage improving from 11% to 27%.

For a first-year junior high program, these improvements are significant. Many new teams struggle to consistently hit above .250 while maintaining defensive consistency, but by the second half of the season South JH was hitting over .300 as a team while fielding above .900, numbers many established junior high teams work to maintain. The steady improvement in pitching efficiency, defensive communication, and offensive production showed the gap between experience and inexperience was beginning to close as the players adjusted to a much higher level of baseball.

Growth was visible across the roster. Brantley Byrd hit over .550 while improving defensively from a .889 to a .938 fielding percentage. Zander Robinson raised his batting average from .222 to .545 and became one of the team’s biggest offensive sparks. Jon Rieger improved from .200 to .375 at the plate while also improving his strike percentage from 44% to 58% and recording 13 strikeouts. Wyatt Carder improved offensively from .143 to .333 and finished the second half with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Jaxon Morrow improved from .250 to .333 offensively while continuing to provide steady defense. Malachi Burns improved defensively from .789 to .966, caught 28 innings behind the plate, and hit the first home run in program history. Gavin Selby improved his strike percentage from approximately 39% to 54%, recorded 14 strikeouts, and posted a 25% caught stealing percentage behind the plate. Carsyn Davidson gained valuable defensive experience while improving offensively, while Westin Baker improved from .000 to .286 offensively and finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage during the second half. Michael Sawyer improved offensively from .000 to .200 while dramatically improving defensively from .667 to .900.

Most importantly, this group established the foundation for what South JH Baseball can become.

To our parents, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters — thank you for believing in this program before anyone knew what it could become. Your support helped build this team from the ground up.

To our 8th graders, thank you for embracing the challenge of being the first group and helping turn this program into something this community can be proud of. You will always have a place here.

To our returning players, leadership now falls to you. The experience gained this season — the difficult innings, adjustments, pressure, and growth — is something you now carry into the future of this program. Because of what this team learned during year one, the next group of players will already begin ahead of where this team started.

That is how programs are built, and because of the work this group put in all season long, the future of South JH Baseball is already brighter.

Year one is complete, but this program is only getting started. ⚾

05/08/2026

05/01/2026

04/20/2026

🚨 FINAL, UPDATED SCHEDULES 🚨

We’re heading into the final stretch, and it’s been incredible to watch this group grow — not just in skill, but in confidence, effort, and how they compete together as a team. 💪🥎⚾

📅 Check out the updated schedules
📍 Plan ahead and come support these teams
👏 Let’s pack the stands and bring the energy

You can see the difference — these players are starting to understand the game at a higher level, trust each other and themselves more, and play with purpose. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s showing every time they take the field.

Now it’s about locking in, playing for each other, and finishing strong. 🐾

04/11/2026

South JH Softball travels to take on Carlisle this afternoon! First pitch at 1:00 PM 🥎

❤️🩶 GO PANTHERS! 🐾

04/09/2026

🥎 South JH Softball 🥎

You can see the growth in this group every time they step on the field. It may not always show on the scoreboard, but these girls are getting better each game - playing harder, growing in confidence, and learning how to compete as a team.

Check out some of the recent highlights 🎥

Back in action tonight at 6:00 PM at TVS vs the Greyhounds.

🐾🥎

04/09/2026

⚾️ April 8, 2026 🐾

South JH Panthers Baseball battled back in a big way Wednesday night, rallying to defeat the Blazers 10–9 in a hard-fought game at TVS.

After falling behind early and trailing by as many as four runs, the Panthers showed a lot of fight and refused to back down. The momentum shifted in the second inning when South exploded for seven runs on seven hits, turning the game around and taking control.

The biggest moment of the night came when Burns crushed an inside-the-park home run, bringing in two runs and sparking the Panthers offense.

The Panthers continued to battle throughout the game, with Byrd adding an RBI groundout in the third to extend the lead to 10–7, helping hold off the Blazers late push.

South finished the night with 12 hits and an aggressive performance on the bases, stealing nine bases and showing patience at the plate with seven walks.

❗️Robinson led the Panthers with 3 hits from the leadoff spot, Burns drove in 3 RBIs, Byrd added 2 hits, M. Sawyer and Robinson each swiped multiple bases❗️

It took a full team effort on the mound as well, with Burns starting the game and Selby and Rieger providing relief to help secure the win.

This one showed exactly what South JH baseball is about — grit, resilience, and competing until the last out.

Next up, the Panthers hit the road to take on the North JH Panthers on Wednesday April 15.



📸 hustle media

03/26/2026

Junior High Softball tonight at WABO VS Arcanum! First pitch at 6:00pm!

03/25/2026

JH baseball & softball are both playing at WABO tonight!
First pitches at 5:30pm!
Come support our JH Panthers!