Thomas Heyward has unfinished business at SCISA 2-A softball tournament

Thomas Heyward Academy has played exactly one softball game since the end of April — a virtual drought in a sport where doubleheaders and four games in a weekend aren’t uncommon.

“We’ve had a week of practice,” coach Bob Layman quipped Thursday, “and the girls have seen enough of each other.”

The wait might seem even more eternal to these Rebels, who in essence have been pointing toward this weekend’s SCISA Class 2-A tournament since breaking out the gloves back in February. And probably even before that.

Nine outs from winning the crown last year, the Rebels came up short when an outfield error allowed Williamsburg Academy to square the best-of-3 series. A pair of Williamsburg homers keyed the deciding game, which ended with THA leaving the bases loaded.

It was the Rebels’ fourth runner-up finish in six years, which only intensified the hollow feeling.

“No doubt,” Layman said. “We’ve been very anxious since the beginning of the season because we felt like we let one slip through our fingers last year. We’re anxious to get started, to say the least.”

The wait finally will end Friday afternoon in Sumter, as the top-seeded Rebels (25-1) open play against Robert E. Lee Academy. Another game follows against either Pee Dee Academy or Carolina Academy, presumably in the winner’s bracket.

The Class 2-A field is split into a pair of four-team brackets, with bracket winners advancing to the best-of-3 final starting Monday. The winner of Thomas Heyward’s bracket would host Game 2 on Tuesday, with a potential third game two days later.

The Rebels have been runners-up each of the past two seasons, with largely the same core group throughout. Three of THA’s four seniors have signed to play collegiately next year, and the fourth should join them not long after the tournament concludes.

It begins with ace Selice Daley, last year’s SCISA Player of the Year and a prohibitive favorite to win the award again. Twelve of her 23 starts have ended in shutouts, with four no-hitters and two perfect games. She has given up just nine earned runs, translating to a 0.51 ERA.

Of the 435 batters Daley has faced this season, 193 have gone down on strikes — more than 44 percent — bringing her total to 912 strikeouts in her career.

“Pretty phenomenal,” Layman said.

Daley, who has signed with USC Upstate, also produces at the plate. She hit .440 this year, driving home more than twice as many runs (22) as she allowed in the circle.

Morgan Peeples leads THA with a .518 average and 23 RBIs, while Sydney Glassberg is hitting .500 with nine doubles.

Layman has tried to keep his hitters sharp in practice by bringing in some collegiate help — including his daughter Ashlie, who just graduated from USC Beaufort and was the Sun Conference’s top pitcher in 2015.

Now it’s just a matter of taking care of unfinished business.

“I try not to talk about it so much,” Layman said. “I’ve told the girls the only team that can consistently beat us is us. We have to stay solid in mind and body and play our best.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Thomas Heyward has unfinished business at SCISA 2-A softball tournament."