MADISON – The Morgan County softball team has high expectations entering its 2022 season. The Lady Dogs practiced all
The Lady Dogs practiced all summer together and logged a lot of hours on the diamond. They held weekly workouts and participated in a few scrimmages over the last three months. Now, they’re ready to see their hard work pay off as the season starts next week.
Morgan County head coach Doug Connelly is ready to see this year’s squad hit the field.
“I’m excited about this team. They’ve got a great work ethic,” Connelly said. “This group reminds me (a lot) of my 2015 team that went to Columbus and ended up being the state runner-up.”
Calhoun defeated Morgan County in a three-game series that year. Even so, it was a successful season for the Lady Dogs as they went 30-8 overall and won the Region 8-AAA title.
Connelly thinks this group has already shown flashes of “what it takes” to make it back to Columbus.
“They come in and don’t say a lot. They just get it done,” he said. “They do what they’re asked to do, and they do it with a great attitude. They also do it with great effort. On top of those things, they’ve got great skills. So, we’ve got the makings of what it takes to be a great team.”
There are 23 players in the program this year, which excites Connelly because the group has grown so close. They all get along and have been building a rapport together since May.
He acknowledged that this year’s group of girls is just “fun to be around.”
“We had a lot of players come out this year and they genuinely love to play softball,” he said. “We met with them individually and we talked to some of them. They just want to be there. I worried about these girls getting burnt out because they play both travel and high school ball. As a coach, I am kind of cognizant that burnout can be an issue. How much do these girls really desire to be here? Well, man, this group does. They want to get after it. That’s fun, man. It encourages you as a coach to see that out of your players.”
Connelly hopes the Lady Dogs’ desire to be on the diamond can help them achieve their goals. He highlighted several returning players can help lead them back to the playoffs.
Connelly added that there are a few who have already been instrumental in starting those efforts.
“We have a strong core of younger players,” he said. “We are bringing back a lot of girls from last season after only losing a few seniors. This group has played together all summer. They’ve also bought into what coach (Jason) McBay and I have been preaching.”
The Lady Dogs return two seniors this season in Bri Lanford and Tristan Waldhour. Both have been contributors at the varsity level for the past few years under the direction of Connelly and McBay. They also bring back Ryan Henderson, Mallory Martin and Anna Kate Hill.
Those five players, plus the rest of the team, will try and help Morgan County reach the postseason once again. This group of Lady Dogs will also make an effort to write their chapter on program history as well as attempt to set it up for success in the near future.
One of their top goals is to win the Georgia High School Association Region 4-AAA championship. However, Morgan County will have to battle Harlem, which beat the Lady Dogs in the series finale last season, to capture the No. 1-seed heading into the Class AAA state playoffs.
Connelly highlighted that his players just “take it one game at a time” rather than just worry about Harlem.
“We obviously have a lot of respect for Harlem, but we don’t focus on them until we play them,” Connelly said. “Our focal point is on what we can do to win games and succeed.”
Connelly believes that mastering the defensive fundamentals of softball can lead to a team’s success. He thinks that limiting errors and playing sound defense is going to help the Lady Dogs this season, especially because they return a lot of their defense from 2021.
The long-time MCHS head coach said his “two errors or less” policy usually works in his team’s favor.
“I believe firmly if you do that, then you can win a lot of games,” he added. “I always tell our players that you don’t always have to win the games, but just don’t lose them. Make the routine plays. Put the ball in play. Make the other team make plays. That’s a very very simplistic mindset, but that’s what we have to do this season. Our girls have bought in.”
Connelly stated the school’s “sustained success” as a softball program has helped it grow since its inception.
“Our softball program has been a consistent playoff contender,” he said. “When you go to coach’s clinics or camps with other teams, people know Morgan County. They either know from the mid-2000s when we won several state championships - or know that our name is bound to pop up in a playoff bracket every year. I just think there’s a lot of consistency. Softball is just big here. We hope to build off that sustained success this season.”
The Lady Dogs are scheduled to play at Social Circle in the season opener on Tuesday, Aug. 9.