Young nucleus helps lead Diamond Dogs

Morgan County baseball has a young nucleus of four sophomores that has helped the team succeed this year.

Four sophomores – Ty Tillery, Hudson Reed, Drew Ainslie, and Davis Strickland – have contributed a lot to the program’s success. They also played on the varsity team as freshmen, helping lead the Diamond Dogs to a region championship and second-round playoff berth. 

They’re now hoping to go further in year two.

These four have played together for a while, whether it be travel baseball or in Little League. They know each other’s on-the-field tendencies, which helped them all get quickly adjusted to playing at the varsity level.

“We’ve always played together, and that helps with the chemistry of our team,” Strickland said. “We all just motivate each other to work hard together. That will help us in the long when we get to the playoffs in May.”

Reed agrees with Strickland’s sentiment.

“I think we all just show up every day and get after it. We don’t get ahead of ourselves and are humble,” Reed said. “No matter what, we just listen to our coaches, and we have great team chemistry, which helps us.”

Morgan County head coach Steve Westmoreland stepped up into a good situation this past summer when he took the job. He enjoyed inheriting four sophomores who already had valuable varsity experience in his first year.

“It’s one of those things as a coach, anytime you have guys returning with experience, it’s always a benefit, especially when you’re coming in as the new head coach,” Westmoreland said. “Even though they are young, you knew they had a good bit of experience last season with some success. That’s great for us to have.”

Westmoreland acknowledged how much of a competitive drive Ainslie, Reed, Strickland, and Tillery have.

“The biggest part I was excited about is that they all play football and were significant contributors last fall as well,” he said. “They know how to compete and they know how to win. I felt like they would be able to bring that to the baseball field and give us the same edge they had during football this past fall. And they did.”

Each sophomore player has produced in their own way, whether it be on the mound, at the plate, or in the field.

Reed has been the team’s most productive at the plate with a .407 batting average. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Georgia commit also has a slugging percentage of .610 with a team-high in home runs (three) and RBIs (19).

Reed also is used on the mound in relief situations, where he’s been consistent in helping his team win.

“Hudson has a really good work ethic but is still developing defensively, but offensively, he’s different. The ball comes well off his bat,” Westmoreland said. “As we say in the coaching profession, ‘it’s just different.’

He’s got a high ceiling and is still developing, but wants to be great. He pushes himself to be great.”

Tillery, another Georgia commit, is the team’s ace on the mound. Before going down with an injury, he had 21 strikeouts and only four walks in 17 innings pitched. Tillery also has an impressive 2.89 ERA this year.

Tillery was named the Region 4-AAA Pitcher of the Year last season as a freshman for the Diamond Dogs.

“Ty is probably the most known of the bunch,” his coach added. “He’s had success since he was young. They’re all great and have individual goals they’ve set for themselves, but Ty wants to be good in everything he does. And it drives him to get better every day. Unfortunately, he got injured, but he’s a great kid.”

Ainslie is hitting a solid .350 at the plate with 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored. He is also hitting .249 with runners in scoring position. On the mound, he’s a dependable reliever, striking out nine and walking two in seven innings pitched. Ainslie also plays first base, where he’s shined with a .977 fielding percentage this year.

According to Westmoreland, Ainslie is the jokester of the group but knows when to be serious when it matters.

“Drew is the goofy one and jokes around, but knows when to get serious,” Westmoreland said. “He’s been swinging the bat extremely well and hits in the clean-up spot for us. I think he’s got the perfect high school approach at the plate. He keeps his hands in and is steady, which is a recipe for success as an offensive player.”

Finally, Strickland is a utility player and is used all over the field. He’s used sparingly on the mound in 14.7 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts and only six walks. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Strickland also plays third base and rotates around the outfield. At the plate, he’s batting .323 with a team’s third-best 20 hits and 13 RBIs.

Westmoreland believes Strickland’s ability to rotate around at various positions greatly helps the team’s chances of winning.

He added that Strickland is a “change of pace” for the Diamond Dogs on the mound this year.

“He’s played at pitcher, shortstop, and third. He’s our utility guy defensively,” Westmoreland said. “He’s done a great job with whatever we’ve asked him to do. He’s throwing the ball well on the mound. Davis has a great breaking ball, which is a change of pace for us from some of the other types of arms we already have.”

Morgan County is ranked No. 3 in Class AAA and will face No. 1 Harlem, the defending state champions, next week. The Diamond Dogs handed Harlem its only loss last season en route to capturing the region title.

Westmoreland believes these four sophomores, along with the rest of his players, will be locked in next week.

“The goal is to get better every day and I think we’ve done that. I know our guys had success against them last year and I think that’s going to help us,” he said. “We’re mentally ready and put it all on the line and compete.”

Ainslie is ready to see how Morgan County performs against the state’s top-ranked team and defending champs.

“Being here every day makes us brothers,” Ainslie said. “We’re grinding every day, keeping things simple. That’s helped us get to where we’re at. I think we’re in a good spot getting ready for the Harlem series.”