THOMASVILLE – Thomasville baseball is looking at this upcoming season as an opportunity to continue their dominance. This group is coming off a 23-win season in 2023-2024, has a chance to four-peat as region champs, and had a collective 3.6 GPA in the first semester of school. However, make no mistake. The history of success is not making this Bulldogs team complacent.

“I couldn’t ask any more of these guys and their offseason work. It’s been phenomenal. So, from a perspective of work that’s been put in, I feel really good about it. These guys have worked very hard in all disciplines.”

“I couldn’t ask any more of these guys and their offseason work,” said head coach Erik McDougald. “It’s been phenomenal. So, from a perspective of work that’s been put in, I feel really good about it. These guys have worked very hard in all disciplines.”

McDougald even said he had to tell some players “It’s time to go home” during off-season workouts. The hard work of this program in the off-season lends itself to the team’s goal of getting “one-percent better every day” in the regular season.

“If we can gain a percent every day in some facet, in some area, and not lose ground anywhere else, that’s our thought process going throughout the entire course of the season,” McDougald said. “After ten weeks of that if you’ve gained a percent a day you’ve kind of worked yourself into a whole other team.”

One of the biggest stories of this baseball season is Thomasville and Thomas County Central meeting in the regular season for the first time since 2017. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will meet on February 10 and again on the 18 this season. McDougald, who is a Central graduate and played in this rivalry, knows what it means to these players.

“It’s for the kids. These kids deserve the opportunity to play each other every year. Heck, on my staff, I have three County grads, four if you include me, and we still remember our Thomasville games from when we were in high school,” said McDougald. “You definitely remember getting to play against your buddies that you’ve known forever. Just to have the chance to get out there and let the kids compete against each other and make some memories for a lifetime is the ultimate goal.”

The Bulldogs will begin their season with a three-game home stand, including the season opener against TCC and a matchup with Cairo. Thomasville will play Central again on February 18 and will not have a true away game until their eighth game against Cook on March 4.