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The expectations around Aynor softball are about as high as they can get.

Head coach Tony Mills has seen it all during his time coaching the Blue Jackets. He remembers the feelings of hoisting a trophy and winning a state championship, and he also knows the experience of falling short in the postseason and ending the year on a disappointing note.

The latter was true for Aynor softball last season, falling in game three of the best-of-three Class 3A state championship series to Belton Honea-Path.

This season, Mills said the Blue Jackets are both well aware of the outside expectations and eager to climb back to the top.

鈥淭he kids were super, super disappointed,鈥� Mills said of last year鈥檚 loss in the state title series. 鈥淢ost people would say that if you make it to the state championship game, you would be glad you got there. But over the years at Aynor, the expectations are now high.

鈥淚 remember 13 years ago, we were just hoping to make the playoffs. We didn鈥檛 even talk about winning a region 13 years ago. Then eventually, the talk changed to winning a region and then maybe winning a district鈥� Now, it鈥檚 expected every year that you play for a lower state championship and then a state championship.鈥�

This year, it sure looks like the Blue Jackets are again on their way to doing something special. The team entered this last week of regular season competition with a 16-2 record and plenty of success to their name. They are unbeaten in region competition with almost too-good-to-be true numbers.

Over 18 games leading into the final regular season week, the Blue Jackets surrendered just 16 total runs. That鈥檚 less than one run allowed per game, and that鈥檚 no typo.

Alivia Hess and Maddie Johnson 鈥� a pitching duo that has locked down the circle for Mills for several seasons 鈥� have been electric. Combine their success with the play of other leaders like leadoff hitter Caroline Gaskins and catcher Hannah Lewis, Aynor can have real reason to believe they鈥檒l be fighting for a state championship again this year.

But the year hasn鈥檛 come without some intentional adversity, something Mills has wanted for his group. The team鈥檚 two losses have come against defending Class 4A state champion Catawba Ridge (3-1) and Class 5A Summerville, which is 22-0 this season and not only the best team in the state, but one of the best softball programs in the entire country.

Mills said those matchups, even though they were tight losses, were beneficial to his group.

鈥淲e wanted to take this team and we wanted to push this team,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淲e want to play some different types of teams and see some different types of competition. We wanted to see some pitching and what type of team that we might eventually see in the playoffs.

鈥淎nybody can play well at home. But as a coach, I want to see how we鈥檙e going to play on the road. Not only do you want to play great competition, but you want to play them away from your place. That makes it a little tougher. It鈥檚 a tougher environment, and you鈥檙e going to have to travel in the playoffs.鈥�

Mills believes in his team. He knows with the veterans he has 鈥� and the success of those like standout sophomore Paisley Page and centerfielder Maggie Hughes 鈥� Aynor could again find themselves in a spot to play for a championship.

With intentionally difficult scheduling as a part of the strategy, Mills is confident that his group will be ready when the lights shine on them the brightest.

鈥淲e have wanted to seek out the best competition so that when we get to the playoffs, when we get into a one-run game late, that we have been there before,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淲e want them to have faced adversity and to know what that feels like. That helps them to believe in each other.鈥�

St. James keeps on rolling

St. James softball has dominated the Beach Region, and the only question that remained going into this last week of the regular season was whether or not they鈥檇 end with a perfect region record 鈥� something this talented Sharks group has yet to do across their last four region-winning years.

But before the Sharks returned to the diamond, head coach Paula Blackwell was glad her team got a chance to sit back, relax and enjoy last week鈥檚 spring break.

鈥淚 think mentally and physically, it鈥檚 good for the kids to step away,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 sure a lot of the kids still had hitting lessons and stuff like that, but they were able to just give themselves a break鈥�

鈥淚 think coaches, too. It gives us a chance to think about what we鈥檙e doing鈥� Sometimes, it鈥檚 good to just chill out. And then, we get back together and get on it. And, it鈥檚 hard as a coach because I鈥檓 not going to lie, I鈥檝e been looking at the brackets and other teams we could be playing in the playoffs. It鈥檚 hard to just completely shut it down. But, it鈥檚 a good time for everybody to just relax.鈥�

St. James has certainly earned its rest. The Sharks have been brilliant this year, leaning on star pitcher Raegan Tibbits to pile up a 16-3 record (13-0 region) to head into the final week of the year. Like their Horry County counterparts in the western part of the county, St. James鈥� numbers have been fairly eye-popping this year. Across 19 games (as of Monday), the Sharks have allowed just 35 total runs.

Plenty of that has to do with Tibbits, the anchor of this year鈥檚 junior class who has proven to be one of the best pitchers in the state of South Carolina. The team, Blackwell says, has been motivated to play their best to back up their ace.

鈥淪he鈥檚 special,鈥� Blackwell said of the junior. 鈥淚 think as a coach, a lot of people say you start taking them for granted. But I don鈥檛. I know when they鈥檙e gone, it鈥檚 going to be different. She鈥檚 somebody who has been around and she鈥檚 just steady. You know what you鈥檙e going to get. She can do so much, and I think for our other kids, they just want to be able to back her up. They want to be able to take pressure off of her.鈥�

The Sharks have now been region champions for half a decade. With five in a row, they鈥檙e hoping to fine-tune things as they look ahead to the postseason.

鈥淥ur whole team is hungry,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to clean things up and focus on things like getting bunts down and working on our base-running鈥� It is going to come down to those little things when we talk about winning and losing in the playoffs.鈥�

Playoff action for softball and baseball all begin on Monday, May 5. South Carolina lacrosse playoffs continue this week, while the boys tennis postseason also started this week. Postseason competition for boys golf and track and field will heat up as the calendar flips over to May.

Detailed brackets and schedules for all spring sports can be found on the South Carolina High School League website.