Airport head coach Casey Bradwell
It’s not very often a team enters the last month of the regular season with a region title and postseason position locked up. However, that is the position the Airport Eagles and head coach Casey Bradwell finds themselves.
With a few weeks left before the 4A playoffs begin, Airport sits atop Region 4-4A with an 11-1 record. The Eagles are 16-3 overall.
“It’s a bit different to be honest,” Bradwell said. “Usually, you lose a couple of games in the region because this is a good region. There are still some teams with region games two weeks from now. In the past, we’ve been waiting to see if North Augusta can beat this team or if Aiken can go in and beat North Augusta. This year, we took care of it on our own. It’s different.”
Airport came into the season off a second place finish in the region and a postseason appearance in 2023. However, Bradwell has noticed some differences that have played a role in the Eagles taking the next step.
“We’ve pitched better,” Bradwell said. “We haven’t walked as many people. We’ve thrown more strikes. We’ve done a real good job of throwing the ball over the plate.
“And our lineup is better. When it’s going good, it’s good. The lineup is deep. We’ve executed our bunt game better this year. Last year we stole 25 bags and got throw out on most of them. This year we’ve attempted 59 stolen bags and only been thrown out six times. When we do get people on base, we put some pressure on people. If we can put pressure on our opponents, that’s when we have been successful so far.”
As most teams were starting the season against non-region opponents, Airport’s season began with a three-game set against Aiken. That was followed by three games against Midland Valley, and then the same set up against South Aiken. Region play wrapped up with three games against North Augusta. A 13-3 win in that series opener clinched the region title for the Eagles. They went on to sweep North Augusta to finish the region slate with the 11-1 mark.
“ We didn’t change much of anything in how we approached the season,” Bradwell said. “We knew this was the case. We started the season with our preseason tournament and went from there. This year was a little different with the three game sets. We didn’t have a real day to practice. We would come in on Sundays for batting practice. Our mindset was to be ready to go from the start.”
With the region title and playoff position already in hand, Airport turns the page to April and a month of non-region opponents. That kicked off with the Forest Acres tournament last week where the Eagles defeated Dorman before dropping games against River Bluff and Oceanside Collegiate.
“We took a step back on some things we do well,” Bradwell said. “It’s not that we played terribly. We played really good teams. We just have to get back to doing the things well that got us in this position. It showed us if we don’t do these things well, we are not going to be very good in the playoffs.”
The remainder of the non-region schedule includes two games each against Cardinal Newman, Brookland-Cayce, and Gilbert. Bradwell began the stretch with a one-hour team meeting Monday to help his guys rebound before practice.
While Bradwell doesn’t plan to try anything drastic over the remaining weeks, he does want to play around with the lineup.
“The biggest questions are can we score enough runs against quality arms and how are we going to do it?” Bradwell said.
Through 19 games, Airport is averaging 7.7 runs a game. That includes shutout losses to South Aiken and Oceanside. Airport has scored nine runs or more eight times this season.
Cam Atkins has had a strong presence at the plate, hitting .400. Landon Jeffcoat, who has been the team’s designated hitter the past couple of weeks as he recovers from an injury, is hitting .460. Currently, Bradwell has Jeffcoat as the No. 9 hitter, but the Eagles’ coach will probably move him around in the lineup. Miller Harrelson has stepped up in 2024, hitting .360. Shane Hanna had a good outing in the Forest Acres Classic. Brice Gillette and Charlie Jackson are getting better at the plate, according to Bradwell.
Pitching has been Airport’s strong suit. The Eagles have a 0.9 staff ERA led by Coker commit Graham Whittle, who has a 6-0 record with a 0.6 ERA.
Harrelson is putting together a good season at the plate and on the mound with a 4-0 record, highlighted with a plus, plus change up and a breaking ball.
Hunter Epps completes the trio with a 5-0 record, while giving up only four walks so far this season.
Atkins is Airport’s closer. Gillette, Hanna, Cash Epps, and Daniel Butts have also seen time on the mound.
“I can’t ask any more from my pitchers,” Bradwell said. “My starters are going deep in games. Our relievers have come in and shut the door. We have five, six, or seven guys who can really throw it. They’ve done their part.”
For every good pitching staff, there is a good defense. Airport currently has a .950 fielding percentage. Epps and Gillette have formed a good shortstop and third baseman combo. Harrelson holds down the outfield, while Atkins anchors first base. There is a rotation between Whittle, Jeffcoat, and Isahia Clemons at second base.
While Airport is enjoying another good season, for Bradwell it’s just a continuation of what’s been built. He is in his second year as head coach, taking over for Tim Perry, who led Airport to two 4A State Championship appearances in his decade at Airport. Perry also guided the Eagles to four region championships and four district titles.
“Tim Perry is the best in the business in my book,” Bradwell said. “He’s my mentor. I look up to what he did. One thing he told me early on was to write everything down. Some things you will like; some things you won’t. My game plan when I took over was to build on what he established.
“The biggest thing Tim Perry did was put a culture in place of winning. We aren’t scared to play anybody. The kids show up every day believing we are going to win. I don’t coach like he did and we have our different concepts, but we talk on the phone constantly. Ultimately, the culture he built here is special. This place is special to me. I played here, but it wasn’t like this when I was here. It was good baseball, but it wasn’t to this level. People now expect us to win.”
As Airport winds down the season, Bradwell wants to test his team’s mettle.
“I hope we get to play some close games,” Bradwell said. “We have recently. We won’t see a lot of blowouts in the playoffs. I want to see how the guys respond and compete regardless of the competition. We still have to be the same guys. We have to have the same approach. I want to see what the team is made of. Recently, we haven’t fared so well. We’ve had three close games and come out one of three in those. The teams that win in the playoffs are the ones that do well late in games. With this older group I think we are going to be just fine.”
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