The Lake Oconee Wild Things faced off against the Alpharetta Aviators on July 18-19 in their final home appearance.
The series conclusion marked the official end of the Sunbelt League team’s inaugural 2025 season.
The Wild Things played their first game of the series on Friday evening, with a doubleheader the following afternoon. The doubleheader took place due to a rainout occurring on the road earlier in the season.
Facing tough competition, the Wild Things suffered defeat in all three games of the series. The Aviators took a 13-7 victory in Game 1, a 9-3 win in Game 2, and a 7-5 victory to complete the sweep.
The Wild Things landed as the seventh seed in the Sunbelt League’s final rankings, one spot shy of playoff qualifying.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth [this season], and that’s the most important thing,” said Tony Matos, head coach for the Wild Things. “At the end of the day, we want to win, but it’s a developmental league, and I thought a lot of our guys got a lot better.”
Several key players showed out during the weekend competition, including first baseman TL Saxon and outfielder Daniel Bell. Saxon led game one with a home run, a double, and three RBIs. Bell led game two with a home run, two RBIs, and an RBI in game three.
With the season’s conclusion, Matos believes he has witnessed many players change their mindsets for the sport. He credits the league’s exposure for helping the players get more playing time and experience “adversity.”
“Now, they’re having to deal with adversity on a nightly basis, and some will crack, some will learn how to deal with it,” Matos said. “That’s where a lot of our coaching comes, and it’s almost like psychology, just talking them through the ups and downs of baseball and understanding that it’s not always going to go your way, but it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad athlete.”
Overall, Matos said he has enjoyed the opportunity to coach the players throughout the season, and believes he has seen the difference between college baseball and the high school level he coaches.
He hopes to bring this experience into coaching the younger players at his full-time position in Barrow County.
“I feel extremely blessed, and sometimes I feel like God puts you in a situation where you don’t feel qualified whatsoever, and I just feel like I’m here for a certain reason,” Matos said. “Sometimes I don’t always understand why, but to be able to work with guys where they have all the tools and have it figured out, and all you have to do is give them an opportunity to shine.”
With the conclusion of the Wild Things’ inaugural season in Lake Oconee, Corey Schachter, the team’s owner, believes this first season was a great success. He credits the community for its support, and “rallying around the team.”
“I felt a lot of support, and it was definitely a lot more work than I thought it was going to be, but it was all great,” Schachter said. “It was a great experience; so many memories created, and friendships have just been good.”
Schachter believes the opportunity to own the team has helped his family make lifelong friends. He additionally enjoyed giving players the chance to experience a summer on the lake.
“We’ve probably met some people who will be a part of our lives for the rest of our lives. I didn’t expect that, but we’ve just had such strong connections. “It was fun watching, whether it’s watching the players out fishing or swimming, or just doing lake stuff. It was extraordinary to watch how much they enjoyed our community.”
The Lake Oconee Wild Things are in the process of establishing a youth travel ball program during the offseason.
The summer program will return home to Lake Oconee Academy in May 2026.