MORGAN COUNTY
Despite a disappointing end to the year, the Morgan County baseball team had a successful 2023 season.
The Diamond Dogs also racked up a lot of postseason awards, with a lot of players landing spots on the All-Region 4-AAA First and Second Teams. There were also a few individual awards won as well.
Merritt Ainslie, who is no longer with the program, was named the Region 4-AAA Coach of the Year. He led the Diamond Dogs to defeat eventual- state champion Harlem and win the region title.
Harlem went on to go 36-1 overall and win the Class AAA state championship by defeating Ringgold. However, the Bulldogs’ only loss in 2023 was to Morgan County in the regular-season finale.
Ty Tillery also won the Region 4-AAA Pitcher of the Year honor for his performance as a freshman. The right-hander led the Diamond Dogs in strikeouts and had their lowest earned run average.
In 43.1 innings pitched on the season, Tillery gave up only 11 earned runs but struck out 52 batters during his freshman campaign for Morgan County. He also boasted a team-best 1.78 ERA.
Seniors Brendan Conway and Jack Harper were named the 2023 Region 4-AAA Co-Defensive Players of the Year as well. Both Conway (shortstop) and Harper (third base) played in the infield.
Conway and Harper were also two of the Diamond Dogs’ sluggers in 2023. The pair helped lead their team to win the Region 4-AAA title and to the Sweet 16 round of the Class AAA state playoffs.
Harper had a .480 slugging percentage with 21 hits, two home runs and 10 RBIs. He also had a team-high three triples tied with Zach Moore in runs scored with 22. Conway totaled 17 hits with a dozen runs scored and as many RBIs. He also tied with Moore and two others with a team-high four doubles.
Conway (pitcher) and Harper (third base) were also named to the All-Region First Team. Also, Tillery (pitcher), Drew Ainslie (first base) and David Denton were the other MCHS First Team selections.
Conway (shortstop) and Tripp Lancaster (second base) were named to the All-Region Second Team.
Columbus ended Morgan County’s season in May during the round of 16 in the Class AAA state playoffs. The Diamond Dogs were 18-13 overall in 2023 with a 10-1 mark in Region 4-AAA play.
Morgan County only lost a few seniors in the offseason, including Harper, Conway and Jackson Miller. So, the Diamond Dogs return a lot of talent heading into next season under a new head coach.
Last week, the Lake Oconee News learned from sources that Morgan County is hiring Steve Westmoreland as its new head coach, pending approval from the Morgan County Charter School System. Morgan County athletic director Doug Connelly then confirmed the news with the newspaper.
Stay tuned for next week’s edition of the Lake Oconee News for a story on Westmoreland in his new role.