Cheraw Braves Baseball

Baseball:5/5/09
Braves Eliminated In District Play
At the beginning of the season, the Cheraw baseball team had aspirations of claiming a top spot in the region and making a deep run into the playoffs. The Braves fell just short of making it to the lower state playoff bracket.

The Braves opened up district round of the playoffs on the road against Waccamaw. In a thrilling game, the Braves won 7-5 on April 30 to move one step closer to playing for the District VI title.

“I thought it was a very good game,” said Cheraw head coach David Byrd. “It was back and forth. We were up early and then got behind, but we were able to come back in the sixth inning to take the lead.”

Garrett Foreman picked up the win on the hill for Cheraw. Ben Tillman came into the game late and earned the save.

The Braves lost to Waccamaw 4-3 in a preseason tournament. Byrd said that he knew it would be a tough place to play.

“It was good being able to go into a higher seeded team’s place and pick up a win,” Byrd said. “They are a solid team, and we were fortunate to grit out a win.”

The next two contests proved to be the end of the road for Cheraw.

The Braves next opponent was Bishop England on May 2. A stellar pitching performance by the Bishop England pitcher kept Cheraw from generating anything. The final score was 10-0. The Bishop England pitcher earn a no-hit victory.

“We put the ball in play and their defense made the plays,” Byrd said. “You have to tip your hat to their pitcher for his performance. I felt like we had a couple good practices and we had seen enough good pitching to be able to do well.”

With the loss, Cheraw was set to face Waccamaw

for a rematch. Since the Braves won the first contest, they were able to host the game. Unable to get anything going, the Braves fell 13-2.

Byrd says that there were some bright moments during the season, but not going deeper in the playoffs or finishing higher in the region weren’t the finishes that were expected.

“We had a good season,” Byrd said. “I think our seniors did a great job of leading us. We just didn’t finish the way we thought we would in the region or the playoffs. We had some great wins and some really good performances during the season.”

Baseball: 4/30/09
Braves 7 Waccamaw 5
For the second straight year Cheraw defeats Waccamaw in round #1 of the AA baseball playoffs. Braves 7 Waccamaw 5. The Braves will travel to Bishop England on Saturday.

Baseball: 4/7/09
Braves Dominate Spring Break Tourney at Tom Brewer Field
Cheraw baseball hosted a spring break baseball tournament on April 6-7 at Tom Brewer Field. The Braves dominated their opponents, earning the tournament championship.

The Braves opened the tournament with McBee. In the first two innings, both teams scored runs at will, but a 10-run second inning helped Cheraw put the game away. The game ended with Cheraw winning the contest 19-9.

The hits kept coming for the Braves against Indian Land, their next opponent. Again, Cheraw would fall behind early but bounced back to take a commanding lead. A strong third and fourth inning helped the Braves put Indian Land away 15-4 in five innings.

Cheraw’s next opponent was a familiar foe. The Braves would square off against rival Chesterfield for the championship game.

Unlike their first two contests, the Braves jumped out to an early lead. After one inning, Cheraw had a 4-0 advantage but the Rams bounced back. The Rams narrowed the gap to 4-3 but couldn’t get any closer to the red-hot Cheraw squad.

The Braves eventually won the game 13-4, earning the tournament championship. Cheraw is currently 10-4 over all this season.

Baseball: 3/21/09

Cheraw Honors Tom Brewer - Dedicates Tom Brewer Field
Hundreds gathered in Cheraw on Saturday, Mar. 21 to honor Thomas (Tom) Austin Brewer Jr. and take part in field dedication ceremonies.

The day was filled with reflections on Brewer’s work on the field but mostly his work off the field as a volunteer coach, a mentor and a positive role model in the community.

Touched by the events and kind gestures, Brewer thanked the many in attendance for showing their support.

“I never thought in a million years that this would happen to me,” Brewer said. “I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate your presence. I want to thank the coaches, the school board, the town and the county for being so nice to me in the past and in the present.”

Brewer said that he strives to provide the young people he mentors with lessons that stretch outside the realm of baseball.

“I enjoy working with the kids so much, Brewer said. “I try to teach them what baseball is all about. I also try to teach them the right way of life. I hope I’ve done a good job of that.”

There were two ceremonies that took place during Saturday’s events. A private ceremony was held at 2 p.m. at the entrance of Tom Brewer Field. During the private ceremony, Brewer was presented with several items and heard the warm words of Cheraw High Principal Dr. Henry Cobb, Cheraw Mayor Scott Hunter and Cheraw High athletic director and head baseball coach David Byrd.

Hunter read a proclamation, declaring Mar. 21 as Tom Brewer Day in Cheraw. He also talked about the positive impact Brewer has had on the town and many of its citizens.

“Coach Brewer, you’ve done a lot in this town,” said Hunter. “We appreciate everything you’ve done. You’ve been a great coach on the baseball field, but you’ve also been a great life coach. That means a lot to us and our community.”

Brewer was also presented with two plaques that are posted outside the stadiums entrance. The plaque posted on the left side of the entrance chronicles Brewer’s accomplishments as a professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox and his work as a volunteer. The other plaque will feature the names of Cheraw baseball players who earn the Tom Brewer Scholarship. The Rotary Club will give a $1,000 scholarship to a senior baseball player each year that embodies the Rotary Club’s motto of “service above self”. Rotary Club member Marian Crawford announced the details of the scholarship.

Brewer also received accolades from the Boston Red Sox on his accomplishments as a member of their team and his work in the community.

After the private ceremony was completed, those in attendance had an opportunity to speak to Brewer, get autographs and have their pictures taken with him.

The festivities then moved to the field.

During the field dedication ceremony, Byrd and several guests talked about type of man Brewer is and how he has impacted so many lives.

“I’ve known coach Brewer for the past 15 years and I can say that there has been no greater friend to Cheraw High School and its baseball program than coach Tom Brewer,” Byrd said. “His dedication to coming early and working hard, his competitive nature, willingness to share his knowledge of pitching to our kids and giving from buying meals to providing uniforms over the years shows his loyalty to baseball and the kids he’s involved with.”

Many of Brewer’s former players were in attendance to support their former coach. One of Brewer’s current players spoke on behalf of all the youth that he has impacted over the years.

Cheraw High baseball player Lee Hinson talked about the lasting impact that Brewer will have on his life.

“Tom Brewer has taught us not only the love of baseball, but also he has shown us dedication, honesty, integrity and the importance of community involvement,” Hinson said. “He has been our coach, our teacher, our mentor and our friend.”

Cheraw native and former Air Force head football coach Fisher DeBerry was in attendance to witness one of his heroes receive such an honor. DeBerry says that he would catch for Brewer before Brewer would go to spring training for the Red Sox.

“It was a real thrill for me to stand there in front of all the people in Cheraw and see them pay homage to Cheraw’s finest,” DeBerry said. “He was a great inspiration to me. He was a major league player and he gave me the chance to catch him. He gave me a lot of encouragement and he saw some potential in me. I saw the role model that he was and I have a lot of respect for him and his family.”

Bobby Richardson, former New York Yankees player and Sumter native, reflected on some of the hard fought battles between the Red Sox and Yankees during his career. He says that Brewer was a pitcher that was respected by everyone.

“He had a great curve ball,” Richardson said. “I remember Mickey Mantle saying he hated facing Tom because he had such a great curve ball. Tom was known around the league for his curveball. He was a great competitor and he would do all the things necessary to help his team win. I coached Jack Jolly (former Cheraw head baseball coach) at Coastal Carolina. I gave him a reference when he was interviewing for the job here in Cheraw. I told him that once he got the job he had to talk Tom Brewer into working with his coaches. He did and Tom has been helping since then. Tom has gone above and beyond by being a part of the community as far as teaching.”

A new scoreboard, with Tom Brewer Field written in Boston Red Sox script, was also unveiled.

Baseball: 3/12/09
Braves 15 Mullins 0 - Ben Tillman Hurles Perfect Game
The Cheraw Braves baseball team opened their season with region positioning already on the line. The Braves defeated Mullins 15-0 in five innings to earn a victory in Region 8-AA.
Braves' junior pitcher Ben Tillman picked up the win while pitching five innings and recorded a perfect game. He dominated the Mullins batters, striking out 13. Mullins was only able to make contact twice, but both were fielded by the Braves and no damage was done.
"It was good to see Ben have a chance to pitch a game like that," said Head Cheraw Coach David Byrd. "It was a perfect performance by him. Very rarely do we get to see a game like that at any level of competition. That's a game that we will all remember. It's something that Ben will remember for the rest of his life."

Spotlight: 3/10/08
Cheraw High Athletics Spotlights Wofford's Keith Munns
A strong candidate for Academic All-Southern Conference honors again this spring . . . A tough catcher who is not afraid to take an inside pitch . . . Will approach Wofford’s career record for times hit by pitch . . . Named to the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll . . . 2006: Set the school season record by being hit by a pitch 17 times as a sophomore . . . Was fifth in the Southern Conference in hit by pitch . . . Named to the Academic All-Southern Conference team . . . Hit a two-run homer on opening day in a 7-4 win over Longwood (Feb. 4) . . . Hit a crucial three-run homer and drove in five runs vs. Davidson (March 12) . . . 2005: Saw action 19 games including five starts as the DH . . . Hit .219 but showed power with two home runs in 32 at-bats . . . Was two-for-four with three runs scored and two RBI in a 14-12 win at The Citadel (April 2) . . . Hit a two-run homer against North Carolina A&T on March 23 . . . High School: A three-time all-region selection . . . Led Cheraw to state championship batting .548 in nine playoff games . . . All-State selection . . . Named to the North-South All-Star Team . . . Threw out 85 percent of opposing base stealers . . . Topped Cheraw as a senior with a .444 with 5 home runs and 43 RBIs . . . Hit .386 as a junior . . . Batted .331 his sophomore year when Cheraw captured the Lower State championship . . . Was also a two-time all-region pick as a punter in football . . . Wendy’s High School Heisman state finalist . . . Cheraw’s Top Scholar Athlete . . . Graduated valedictorian . . . Batted .500 on South Carolina Mudcats (AAU) summer team . . . Personal: Born Feb. 3, 1986 . . . Son of Michael and Kimberley Munns.
Courtesy Steve Shutt Associate AD/Media Relations Wofford College