No doubt Brian Smith could have made it easier on his baseball team.
The Winder-Barrow High School coach could have scheduled some pushover opponents for non-region foes this spring. He could have scheduled contests which would have made his team’s overall record look more glamorous.
However, Smith knew taking that route really wouldn’t benefit the Diamond Doggs, especially once the brutal Region 8-AAAA schedule began. So the veteran WBHS coach penciled in foes such as Dacula, South Effingham, Evans and Buford.
The result was a 1-5 start and probably some questions from some who didn’t really understand what was going on or why Smith would set up such a demanding schedule.
As it turns out, Smith knew just what he was doing. Since going 1-5, the Diamond Doggs are 16-1 including Friday’s 4-3 win at No. 2-ranked Loganville High School. The result is a subregion championship and a chance to play for the outright region title beginning Thursday against those same LHS Red Devils.
“We knew going into this season our schedule was going to be tough,” Smith said. “If we didn’t do everything the right way, those early opponents would defeat us. We had a new group in many ways and a new pitching staff. I wanted to see if we could rebound and not be shaken.”
In the end, Smith saw his team grow up during the early portion of this year’s scheduled. They took some lumps in a 13-6 loss to Evans and an 11-5 setback to Buford, but the experience gained from those and similar contests have proved invaluable.
Since a 6-4 win against Dacula on March 7, WBHS has lost only once. That loss came on April 9 against Flowery Branch, a game in which the Bulldoggs held a seventh-inning lead.
While winning the subregion championship means the Winder-Barrow High School baseball team has completed one of its goals, Smith knows there are still plenty of mountains to climb this spring.
The Bulldoggs have already assured themselves of competing in the state tournament and of hosting at least one series. WBHS, with a region championship, would guarantee itself at least two state playoff series at home.
“We’ve come a long way this season,” Smith said. “It was a little scary and a little humbling early on. However, we always want to be playing our best baseball at the end. We are all excited about what we have accomplished and we want to continue to improve and to continue to reach more goals.”
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him with comments about this column at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
