Spring sports have already gotten started in Hampton County. Here is a look at what to watch for this season.

Wade Hampton
Baseball: The Red Devils are hoping to move up in the region rankings after finishing fourth last year. Their toughest opponents will be Barnwell and Pelion as well as Silver Bluff and Edisto. The team lost star hitter Randall Long, but returns four seniors: Andrew Wilson, Chris Padgett, Drew Bowers and Jeremy Cannon.

Boys soccer: The team is a small squad of 14, but is looking to be region champs this year. The Red Devils will have to beat Barnwell first. The Red Devils lost 10 seniors, but returns some key players including Collin Harter, Dylan Wells, and Cody Mosley. Last year the team finished third in the region, but this year they want to finish first and advance in the playoffs.

Girls soccer: A region championship is the goal this season The Lady Red Devils finished second in Region 5-AA last year. Key players returning include Brianna Phillips, Melanie Samples, Ashley Priester, Lindsay Tuten, and goalkeeper April Tant. The toughest opponents barring their way are Barnwell and Bluffton. Last year the team scored 80 goals, including 28 by Tuten, and is looking to score even more this season.

Softball: This young and inexperienced team lost a lot of key players from last year, including: pitcher Amber Hiers, pitcher Kandyce Ranew, catcher Diamond Donehue, Nikki Kollar and Kayla Freeman. The Lady Red Devils' toughest opponents will be Silver Bluff, Barnwell and Pelion and non-region Battery Creek and Bamberg-Ehrhardt. Coach Cassandra Bolden is looking for her girls to be number two in the region by their junior and senior years.

Golf: Star golfer Dylan Mixon and Josh Varnell are gone, but the Red Devils are looking to finish second in the region. Key returning players are William Thomas and Michael Simmons. Their toughest opponent will be last year's region champs, Pelion.

Girls track: The team finished third in the region last year and 12th overall in the state. Starrcree Mixon is gone, but plenty of valuable players will be back. The team is still young, with 20 girls coming from the middle school and it only has one senior. Coach Myrriah Hanna is expecting great things from Tyshaundrea O'Banner, Sarah Turrubiate, Mori Shands, LaShawndra Warren, and Seanna Solomon.

Boys track: A region championship is still the goal despite losing most of last year's squad to graduation. The team has several retuning players and several newcomers to watch so they still stand a chance against tough opponents like Pelion, Edisto and Ridgeland. The track team is expecting great things from Devante Smith, who is the defending 100-meter state champ.

Boys tennis: The season is already underway for the Red Devils, who are off to a 1-7, 0-4 start. They finished third in the region last year and lost two of its experienced players. But back on the court will be Steven Rea, Adam Rea and Matthew Leonard. On a six-man team, those are the only players with experience. The Red Devils' toughest region opponent will be Barnwell and Bluffton will be their toughest non-region opponent. The team's goal is to make the state playoffs and shoot for a region title.

Patrick Henry
Girls soccer: The team finished fourth in the region last year, but it lost several key players including leading scorer Rebecca Koger, Paige Nettles, Laura Cooper and Jennifer Mixson. The team is a young team but coach Wendy Jarrell says they are willing to work hard. The girls' toughest opponent will be Beaufort Academy. The Lady Patriots plan on strengthening their offensive line to have a winning season. A newcomer to watch is Kaitlyn Carson.

Baseball: Last year, the Patriots won the region and were runners-up in the SCISA Class A state championship. That was the first varsity baseball team the school fielded in years. The team only lost Craig Kendrick and returns everyone else, including talented players like Austin and Andrew Rowell, Christopher Wilson, and C.J. Sheffield. The team is looking to build on the solid foundation of last year.

Estill
Baseball: This is the program's second year. The baseball team is a very young with only one senior and with most players only having one to two years of experience with baseball. Coach Michael Burke is expecting great things from all-region shortstop Dondre Raymond, who had some of the best stats last year. Because this is a young team, the coach says all their opponents will be tough to beat.

Softball: Coach JoAnne Ready is taking over this program in its this year. The Lady Gators' goal is to learn the fundamentals of softball and win four or five games this season. The team is returning key players Jaimee Isham, Jashena Mitchell and Shagail Smith.

Track: The track program is in its third year at Estill and the Gators are looking to finish strong in the region once again. Last year the girls were second and the boys finished third. The teams lost some key players like Whitney Bennett, Aaron Loadholt and Myrick Riddles, but the rest are returning. The Gators' toughest opponents in region will be Allendale-Fairfax and Bamberg-Ehrhardt.