The Morgan County softball team put together an impressive run at the state tournament in Columbus last year.
The Lady Dogs didn’t lose a game in the GHSA Class 2A Elite Eight, beating Rockmart and Union County to earn a spot in the state championship, where they swept Appling County in a best-of-three series to win the title.
Looking to replicate last season’s success, the team wants to avoid complacency, a point stressed by head coach Chad Pigg. He emphasized he wants his players to treat complacency the same way they handle adversity.
“There’s always that expectation following a successful season, but with that being said, it’s definitely something that you don’t think about having to navigate (as a head coach),” Pigg noted. “It’s not something you necessarily plan for or prepare for along your journey, but just treat it like adversity, because adversity can be good or bad.
“[Adversity] is something we do prepare for,” he added. “It’s something that we talk about often. My goal has been to ensure that we don’t fall into the mindset that things are now supposed to just happen for us.”
Morgan County is among the favorites to return to Columbus in 2025 and compete again for the Class 2A state championship. But no team is going to look past the Lady Dogs after winning last season’s title. So, Pigg has instructed his players not to buy into any of the preseason hype.
“Now we have a target on our backs, and we’re going to go about our business and do what we do. That’s what got us there the first time,” the third-year head coach said.
“We’re not going to abandon that, and we’re going to treat this like just another obstacle to overcome, because that’s it. I mean, realistically, that’s what it is. There are good and bad obstacles. This just happens to be one that on the favorable side.”
The team lost three seniors to graduation — Kymora Smith, Mallory Martin, and Brooklyn Mims — each of whom contributed significantly last season.
However, the Lady Dogs also return a wealth of talent, including five seniors, with pitcher Ryleigh Hilsman among them. Hilsman, who has been the team’s ace pitcher for the last few years, is considered one of the leaders on this season’s squad.
Pigg spoke highly of Hilsman._ “She’s been a driving factor for us, for our success, and she’s as good a human as she is a pitcher,” he said. “She’s a really good pitcher. She’s solid all the way around, which helps.”
The other seniors include Jayden Daniel, Mary Faulkner, Sadie Bartlett, and Jaleigh Harper.
“Those are our seniors this year, and they all had meaningful roles on our team last year,” Pigg added. “So, we’re excited to have them back and the experience that they bring.”
Pigg added he remains confident those seniors will help prevent his younger players from becoming complacent by leading by example. He mentioned the team brings back a strong core of sophomores and juniors, too.
“We’re bringing back pretty much our entire infield defensively, but to add to that, we’re excited about our younger classes, particularly our sophomores,” Pigg said. “There’s definitely some talent in that sophomore group and the freshman group, which we’re excited to try to piece together and ensure we’re headed in the right direction.”
The Lady Dogs will scrimmage Loganville next week before hosting Monroe Area at home on Aug. 7 in their official season opener.