The success enjoyed by the Winder-Barrow High School baseball team this spring has led to the Diamond Doggs hosting an opening round state playoff series this week.
Coach Brian Smith’s team will meet Alexander High School of Region 5-AAAA Friday in a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be Saturday at 1 p.m. All games will be at Charles W. Maddox Complex.
“Our goal all season was to be able to host in the playoffs,” Smith said earlier this week. “I am proud that we have been able to accomplish that goal. It will be nice to play in front of family and friends. I hope the home crowd will make a difference.”
WBHS finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAA. The Diamond Doggs and Salem both finished 14-6 but WBHS swept the season series from the Seminoles. Loganville won the region championship with an 18-2 mark. Heritage ended up taking the No. 4 seed taking a tiebreaker over Clarke Central.
While Smith was not ready to release his starting pitchers for Friday’s doubleheader earlier this week, noting he was still studying all his options, the coach did say the rest would be beneficial for his players and his pitchers specifically.
“At this point, being able to rest and regroup is a good thing,” the coach said.
While Smith was not ready to release his starting pitchers for Friday’s doubleheader earlier this week, noting he was still studing all his options, the coach did say the rest would be benefical for his players and his pitchers specifically.
“At this point, being able to rest and regoup is a good thing,” the coach said. “When you play 27 games, there are always going to be some things that are ailing you. By getting some time off, we should be mentally ready and charged up.”
The WBHS coach knows the first-round foe will be formidable.
“They have a couple of good pitchers and some players with high batting averages,” Smith said. “They are going to be good. They beat Starr’s Mill, the team we faced in the Sweet 16 last year.”
At this point in the season, Smith said there is little need to change much about his team’s approach.
“If we go out and execute in the areas we have done well in, we should be fine,” the coach said. “When you play at least 14 innings in one day like we will have to do Friday, then you want everything going your way.”
