Leopards playing ‘entire season’ in June

For Banks County High School baseball coach Dean Goodwin, the month of June has been busy.

The Diamond Leopards have already played several games and are preparing to be a host for the Jackson County Shootout, which will be played Thursday through Saturday at several locations. Going into this week, BCHS still had 10 games remaining on the summer slate.
“Things are going as planned,” Goodwin said. “We’ve been getting after it. We are using the summer as a time to move some players around and get them playing time at different positions. It’s already been a long month, but it’s giving us a good idea of where we are headed next year.”

The turnout for practices and games has been strong, the coach said. The BCHS coaches work with each other to allow athletes to compete in all sports, Goodwin said.

“We are all on the same page,” he said. “We are focused on getting the kids playing more than one sport.”

The Leopards will play Archer Thursday at 5 p.m. in an opening game of the Jackson County Shootout. Goodwin said 26 teams would compete in the event at several sites.

“We will see a lot of good competition,” the coach said.

BCHS will also play Friday at noon, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Following play in the tournament, the Leopards will play two additional doubleheaders to wrap up the summer schedule.

“That will be an entire season for us,” Goodwin said. “It has been beneficial. It is a more relaxed atmosphere and we are gaining a great deal from this.”