THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) - Satisfaction is the grave of process, that is the motto for the Thomasville Bulldogs in 2018. The top team in all of double A, poised to make a run at the program's third state title..
"You know you're looking at no seniors from a year ago and everyone returning," said head coach Erik McDougald. "We were getting a really good freshman catcher to come in, some other pieces to the puzzle, so if we were satisfied with what we had done in the past, it was going to put us in a grave. We were not going to be as successful as we wanted to be this year."
Last year, the Dogs won their first region championship since 2003, and reached the Elite Eight. This year, they want more.
"We all came in with the same mindset, same goals, for us seniors we want to go out on top," said Jared Smith. "We have pictures put up in the batting cage just to keep that mindset, the goal of becoming State Champion."
"Obviously you want to win a State Championship but that's asking for perfection," added Coach McDougald. "At this point we just want to strive to get a little bit better each and every day, your goal is to just win the last game you play once the playoffs start."
This is a complete team. Big arms, big bats. They have every tool needed to be successful, but you ask them, their number one strength is there chemistry.
"I think it has a lot to do with small town kids grew up successful," said Coach McDougald. "They have been playing baseball together for a really long time, they enjoy each others company, so that's kind of hard, you can't make that happen."
"We go out here and we have fun together, we hang out on the weekends, outside of baseball," said Hayden Donalson. "I think that's a big part, our team we've played together since we were small, so that means a lot and coming back. We know how deep we need to go and what we need to do to finish this time in the playoffs."
Looking to finish, what the Dogs hope to be doing in just one months time.
