New season, new promotion and a renewed commitment to winning.
Such is the unofficial slogan of the 2019 Lexington County Blowfish. 
Coming off a 3rd straight losing season, the team has prioritized the upcoming season as one where the organization is back among the elite in the Coastal Plain League.
“It’s time for us to win right here in Lexington County on that field and Mrs. (Vicki) Shanahan has guaranteed us to win the championship,” Blowfish co-owner Bill Shanahan said back in October.
The season opens at 7:05 pm Thursday at Lexington County Baseball Stadium against the Forest City Owls. It’s a repeat of last year’s season-opener won in dramatic fashion by the Blowfish 8-7. Down 7-1, Lexington County scored 1 run in the 8th and 6 in the 9th for the win. 
The Blowfish will once again contend with division champion and nemesis the Savannah Bananas, Macon Bacon and Florence Red Wolves this summer. 
Along with returning players like Trace Whetsell of Gilbert, who led the team in doubles, and pitchers Jacob Rye, also of Gilbert, and Bret Falk, the Blowfish have once again brought along a bevy of local high school and college talent from the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. 
“With some outstanding local talent including Trace Whetsell, Jared Kirven and Josh Asbill (both of Lexington), and Josh Senter (River Bluff) as well as some of the top players from the University of South Carolina like  Josiah Sightler (Swansea), Jordan Holladay, Julian Bosnic and Clemson players Michael Green, Sheldon Reed and Bo Majkowski, we can and will compete for the South Division championship in 2019,” General Manager Theo Bacot said.
The most recent editions are The Citadel’s Tyler Corbitt and USC-Sumter’s Lee Metts. 
A graduate of Airport High School, Corbitt helped the Eagles win the Class 4A Upper State title and batted .333 with 15 doubles for the Bulldogs this season. 
“These two young men have had our staff excited for the past few months,” Bacot said. “And it’s a great day in Lexington County to announce that these two local players will join a long line of Midlands natives to suit up in the Blowfish Navy and White.”
Second-year head coach Marshall McDonald has also added a new pitching coach. Shawn Torbett brings over 20 years of coaching experience from his time at Lexington, Brookland-Cayce and A.C. Flora high schools.
He looks to turn around a Blowfish pitching staff which ranked last in the CPL in earn run average last season. Lexington County also hopes to reverse its on-field fielding fortunes where it committed a league-worst 100 errors in 2018. 
The first pitch is 7:05 pm. Every Blowfish game can either be livestreamed at www.CPLBaseball.TV or heard at www.blowfishradio.com or through the team’s phone app. Lexington Chronicle correspondent Justin Hall will provide the play-by-play. 
Lexington County Fair
This year’s season-long theme will play homage to the 150th anniversary of the South Carolina State Fair. As part of the “Lexington County Fair”, the Blowfish will create  County Fair-themed jerseys, as well as sell carnival-related food and drink and hold games throughout the summer.