MACON, Ga. — Just a year ago, Tattnall Square Academy captured its 11th Baseball State Championship with dominant wins over Savannah Christian. This was the Trojans' 4th straight appearance and 3rd championship in four years.
“We won it in 2016, runner-up in 2017. Won it in 2018 and 2019,” says head coach Joey Hiller, “And we felt like we were progressing in the right way to have a chance to play for it this spring for 5 years in a row and hopefully win it -- first time we would have gone back-to-back-to-back in GHSA.”
The Blue-and-Gold were off to a 13-4 start, unbeaten in region play, and when news came down that March 13th could be their last game, it was devastating, especially to the senior class.
“I was fine with the first few innings, and then as it got to the end,” says senior Dawson Brown, “Carter Fink, one of my teammates, in the last inning said, 'If this is the last inning we play together, bro, I love you.' And that hit me on the mound as I was almost crying, thinking this could be my last game.”
His teammate Brooks Gorman explains, “Spring ball, you're playing for a state championship and all the glory for you and your team. It's different. It's something you'll never get back.”
Tattnall gained national attention when they were named by MaxPreps as one of the "Top 25 High School Baseball Dynasties Since 2009" among all schools in the entire country regardless of classification. Tattnall is the only school from the state on the list, and the Trojans also finished the season ranked 2nd in the "2018 MaxPreps Small Schools National Baseball Rankings." According to MaxPreps, small schools generally have less than 1,000 students enrolled. Tattnall has less than 200. It was a lost season, but a big lesson found.
Hiller says, “I know everybody in our school and our team would give anything for one more practice where we're just getting after it. Sometimes we take things for granted and I think this will help with that, and for me, personally, I will be less likely to go through the motions of a day.”
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