BASEBALL HOUNDS
Most Greyhound student-athletes have had the week off from on-field competition. On the baseball diamond, however, Jones County has stayed sharp, going up against fierce competition while also having an eye on getting ready for the postseason.
While no region games were on schedule this week, Jones County took to the road following a Tuesday home game against Eastside.
“We’re excited to give these guys a chance to come together,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Paulk said. “There is nothing like time spent together. It’ll make you bond.”
On Wednesday, the Greyhounds were scheduled to play a pair of games against AA powerhouse Thomasville with a Thursday game at Bainbridge. Both opponents are proven. Bainbridge has clinched a region title with a 9-0 record against those opponents. Thomasville is in the heat of a race for a region title with Crisp County and finished second in the state last year.
But there will be more to the week than competition. It will also be a dry run for spending time on the road for a long bus ride, something that’ll await in the postseason. The Greyhounds first-round postseason opponent, should they advance, would be either against Greenbrier of Augusta or South Georgia teams such as Ware County or Coffee.
“What I wanted to do is give our guys a sampling of South Georgia baseball. I’m from that area, and it seems that in every round one, we have to play a South Georgia team and are not mentally prepared for that style of baseball,” Paulk said. “(This week) is about getting us acclimated to the playoff experience. A lot of my guys are young and have not had that experience, so it’ll be important for them to get their feet wet, have that experience and see how that will work and get them ready for when we play in the playoffs.”
It’ll be back to the grind of region play for the Greyhounds next week, hosting Locust Grove Monday and Friday with a road game at the regionleading Wildcats on Friday.
