Eli Croley (left), Parker Zolt (center) and JT Rice share a laugh after receiving their all-region plaques during the Thomasville baseball team's annual banquet Thursday at the Thomasville High School cafeteria. 

THOMASVILLE — With baseballs at the entrance along with red and gold sport-specific decorations at every turn it was hard to miss who was being celebrated Thursday night at the Thomasville High School cafeteria. 

It also was hard to miss the amount of people who came to be a part of the Thomasville baseball team’s annual end of the year banquet. 

“The program’s come a really long way in terms of growth,” head coach Erik McDougald said in his opening remarks. “I’m glad to see the growth here in Thomasville on the baseball diamond. It’s exciting.” 

A full room enjoyed dinner and an endless of table of desserts before McDougald recapped the season and gave out the 2016 end-of-the-year awards. 

He couldn’t help but think of circles this season, he said. The five-coach varsity staff has former player Kyle Fiveash, a 2005 graduate, and for the first year former state champion Daniel Young, a 1999 graduate. 

The middle school squad also has a coach near and dear to McDougald’s heart: his brother, Kelly, whom he said might not realize how much it’s meant to have him there. 

The McDougalds and “brother” Jonathan Fallin are constantly texting and discussed throughout the year how the Bulldogs went from ugly to bad to good, leading to a joking remark about another struggling baseball team. 

“If the Braves listened to us, we could fix them,” Erik McDougald said. 

Departing head middle school coach Josh Niswonger and Kelly McDougald gave out awards to the middle school team, which was a young group of sixth and seventh graders who finished around .500 against a good schedule. 

Erik McDougald began the varsity awards with a nod to the bat girls, Aubrey Baker and Kylie Marsh, and letterman awards. Seniors Chapman O’Quinn and Morgan Myers, both of whom signed to play in college next year, received four-year letters. 

O’Quinn, who is going on to Gordon State, won a Gold Glove as McDougald said he made “huge strides” at shortstop. Hayden Donalson also won a Gold Glove at third base. 

The two were quickly back up in front of the room to receive plaques for the 100-point club. The Bulldog coaching staff has a point system for players that shies away from strictly statistical accomplishments and puts the focus on the team aspect of winning games. 

It was the first year the team had four players who had more than 100 points. 

“I don’t know if you know how impressive that is,” McDougald said. “That’s a huge honor.” 

Austin Clark had 102 points, O’Quinn had 114.5 and Matthew Green had 126.5. It’s the second consecutive year Green made it to the 100-point club, which includes being added to a plaque that hangs in the clubhouse. 

Donalson had a 151 points hitting leadoff to join the club.

“The kid had a phenomenal year,” McDougald said. 

And other teams in Region 1-AA certainly took notice. When the coaches met to discuss the all-region team, they were asked to nominate players from other teams who should be recognized instead of their own. 

McDougald said he stood back and listened to the names being thrown out for Offensive Player of the Year before joining the conversation. 

“What about your leadoff guy?” he recalled a coach asking. 

So McDougald gave him the numbers: .483 batting average, .551 slugging percentage, .539 on-base percentage, 27 runs, 15 RBIs, only seven strikeouts.

The coaches agreed Donalson was the guy, giving Thomasville the Offensive Player of the Year two season in a row as JT Rice earned it in 2015. 

A new award was added to the list this season for a player who works incredibly hard and puts in the time, energy and effort despite possibly not having the best numbers on the team. In its inaugural year the Jimmy Stewart Memorial Coaches Award went to second baseman Eli Croley. 

The award is named for a man well-known around Bryant-Garner Stadium and the man who coached McDougald when he was younger. 

“I can’t tell you how many hours he put in investing his time in me, making me a better person not just on the ball field,” McDougald said. 

The final award of the night was bestowed on two departing Bulldogs. 

Clark, the senior catcher, won one of the Captain’s Awards as a hard worker and role model for younger players on the team. 

“We were a foul ball away from disaster this year, y’all,” McDougald said about the possibility of not having Clark behind the plate. 

Green also won the Captain’s Award as a player who took the mound as a starting pitcher, manned left field and took first base on occasion. 

“Whatever you wanted Matthew to do, he’s going to do it,” McDougald said. “He’s going to give the absolute best he’s got.” 

The head coach had special departing words for his six seniors, who collected their shadow boxes with their jerseys in it after a rainy senior night kept the memorabilia inside, as well as assistant coach Ron O’Quinn. O’Quinn is stepping away from baseball, but will still be coaching softball. 

He also brought up Caleb Ratzlaff, whose family is moving out of the area next year, to give him a departing gift and tell him he’ll always be a Bulldog. 

And in a much-discussed closing move, assistant coach Brice Warner put a “mic drop” on the occasion while giving McDougald a special trophy for not only his 200th win, which came earlier in the season, but for running the growing program the right way to get there.