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Andy Diffenderfer | Tribune & Georgian
New Camden County resident Steven Hensley, a pitcher in the Seat
tle Mariners organization, is eager for the chance to stare down major-
league hitters.
Making majors is
on Hensley’s mind
Wildcat boys nosed out
Andy Diffenderfer | Tribune & Georgian
Keshaun Street scored eight points and had four assists in Camden’s
one-point loss to West Nassau on Tuesday.
Andy Diffenderfer
sports@tribune-georgian.com
From North Carolina to Iowa
to Tennessee to California, the
journey of Steven Hensley has
been a long one already, one he
hopes will continue and flourish
someday in Seattle, Wash., as a
pitcher with the city’s major-
league Mariners.
The 26-year-old, who moved
to Camden County in September
and was drafted by the Mariners
out of Elon University in North
Carolina in 2008, is preparing
himself for spring training, which
begins in several weeks in Peoria,
Ariz. Taking the hill in the majors
is a goal the Asheville, N.C., na
tive has been working toward his
whole life.
“I feel I’m knocking on the
door,” he said.
Last season, Hensley went 2-2
with a 3.24 earned-run average
for Class AA Jackson, with two
saves, 36 strikeouts in 33-1/3 in
nings and a career-low .188 bat
ting average against in 20 relief
appearances. In June, he was pro
moted to Seattle’s top affiliate,
Class AAA Tacoma, and was 2-4
with a 6.27 ERA in 24 relief out
ings, with 22 punchouts in 37-1/3
innings.
The 6-foot 3 righthander, who
throws a fastball, changeup, slider
and knuckle-curve, has struck out
374 hitters in five minor-league
seasons over several levels as a
starter and reliever. Harnessing
his repertoire and pounding the
strike zone will be important in
ensuring the big-league call
comes.
“The biggest thing is consis
tency,” he said. “The team wants
to know what they’re going to get
every time you step on the
mound.”
A longtime starter, Hensley was
The biggest thing is
consistency. The team wants
to know what they're going
to get every time you step
on the mound.
— Steven Hensley
switched to relief at the start of
last season, a transition that took
some getting used to. The
Mariners, he said, have a wealth
of starting pitching, and felt his
quickest route to the bigs was out
of the bullpen.
“If you’ve got the talent to get
to the big leagues, you’ll get
there,” he said.
The Washington Nationals
made Hensley a 44th-round pick
out of Charles D. Owen High
School in Black Mountain, N.C.,
in 2005, but he chose instead to
head to Elon. The move paid off
handsomely, as Hensley matured
and got stronger, and drastically
improved his draft stock. Three
years later, Seattle scooped him
up in the fourth round.
“It was the best decision I ever
made,” he said of Elon. “I walked
into a team my freshman year
that had 11 seniors on it. You
learn how to grow up real quick,
or they’ll grow you up real quick.
As a freshman, there was a lot ex
pected of me.”
He began his pro career with
the Everett AquaSox in 2008, ap
pearing in eight games and aver
aging more than a strikeout an
inning with 32 in 29-1/3 frames.
His 2009 campaign included
stops at Class A Clinton, Class A
High Desert and Class AA West
Tennessee, and in 25 combined
starts and 27 appearances, he
went 13-4 with 135 strikeouts in
See HENSLEY, page 2B
West Nassau
Andy Diffenderfer
sports@tribune-georgian.com
An opportunity for the Wildcat
boys’ sixth win of the season van
ished Tuesday night as West Nas
sau overturned a 10-point deficit
after three quarters and survived
in the final few seconds, 74-73 in
Kingsland.
After being limited to just five
points in the third and opening
the last eight minutes behind 52-
42, the Warriors picked up the
pace on both ends of the floor. In
a back-and-forth sequence down
the stretch, Keith George’s two
free throws with 18.5 seconds left
put the visitors ahead, and Cam
den missed close-in and long-
range chances on its last
possession.
The Wildcats (5-11) got dou
ble-double performances from
Sam Daniel with 18 points and 12
rebounds (eight offensive), and
season-bests of 15 points and 11
boards from Jordan Malone.
Daniel posted three assists.
Camden’s reserves outscored
West Nassau’s 28-1, with the help
of the early hot hand of Landon
Drayton, who bagged three three-
pointers and scored 11 of his 14
points in the first quarter. He fin
ished with four steals and two as
sists. Kedar Bryant added eight
points off the bench.
Also for CCHS, Keshaun
Street, who had four assists and
two rebounds in a starting role,
hit all six of his foul shots and
scored eight points, and T.J.
Drummond (three rebounds) and
Jonathan Canada tallied four
points apiece.
George was a major pain for the
Wildcats, scoring 13 of his game
leading 26 in the fourth period,
with a three-pointer. He was 9-of-
12 from the line for the game. A
dozen of teammate C.J. Roberts’
21 came in the first half, with a
triple, and T.J. Melton was also
huge in crunch time for the win
ners with 11 of his 13 points in the
fourth.
CCHS earned its first double
digit lead, 51-41, on a Bryant put-
back with 2:43 remaining in the
third as West Nassau went ice-
cold from the floor.
That quickly changed. An 11-1
surge to open the fourth — with
two George buckets following
steals and a Melton three-point
play off another pick — drew the
Warriors even.
Down 70-67 late, Camden
surged ahead 73-71 with 53.4 sec
onds left thanks to a Malone hoop
and two free throws each from
Malone and Drummond. Three
George free throws put West
Nassau ahead to stay.
Both teams warmed up early
from the perimeter, as Drayton’s
lengthy three-point strikes and
two more from West Nassau’s
Tanner Tyer led to a 22-22 tie
after the first quarter. A short
Malone bank off a nifty Daniel in
side feed put CCHS up 27-22
with 5:40 left before the half, and
10 Daniel second-period points
plus two late Drummond free
throws sent Camden to the locker
room ahead 39-37.
West Nassau was just 9-of-17
from the line in the first three
quarters but 11-of-15 in the last.
The ’Cats also got a lot of prac
tice from the charity stripe, going
24-of-37 for the game.
Camden will seek to get back
on the winning track tonight at
Lowndes, and Saturday at home
against Valdosta.
CCHS junior
varsity boys,
freshmen
girls triumph
Andy Diffenderfer
sports@tribune-georgian.com
Chris Williams scored 15 points as
the Camden County junior varsity
boys rolled past West Nassau, 55-34
on Tuesday night in Kingsland.
Williams netted eight in the fourth
quarter as the Wildcats — who never
trailed after the first quarter —
stretched their advantage to as many
as 22. He shared game-high scoring
honors with the Warriors’ Ke’shan
Pennamon.
A Tyler Bohannon layup put the
Wildcats ahead 12-8 late in the open
ing stanza, and they never looked back.
Camden was up 16-8 after the first pe
riod and allowed just one field goal in
the second, that coming in the final
seconds before intermission. The 25-
Andv Diffenderfer | Tribune & Georgian j§ ec jg e a t the break became 37-26
Sy West looks for an open teammate in the Camden junior var
sity boys’ 21 -point win Tuesday over West Nassau. §gg yy|NS page 2B
Lady Pacers hoops program seeks players
The Lady Pacers are a non-profit
501 (c)3 travel youth basketball or
ganization serving the Camden
County and Jacksonville, Fla., areas.
The program is seeking young talent
in grades 7-11, players who are se
rious about basketball. Tryouts begin
Jan. 26.
Those interested should call (904)
608-5327.
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