DAWSONVILLE — What constitutes a surprise team?
There are no hard and fast rules or requirements or circumstances. But when a team hasn’t sniffed the postseason in half a decade and suddenly finds itself in the middle of the playoff chase, people usually begin to take notice.
The Dawson County baseball team in 2022 fits the bill. The Tigers have not been to the playoffs since 2017 and have not posted a winning record overall or in region play since then as well. Dawson County was just 12-15 in 2021, went 13-13 in 2019 and posted a 10-17 mark in 2018. (The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19).
But entering Thursday’s Region 7-3A battle with Gilmer, the Tigers (14-8, 9-4 Region 7-3A) could find themselves not just in a playoff chase but also vying for a top-two spot in the region by week’s end. They currently sit in third place behind No. 1-ranked North Hall and No. 7 Cherokee Bluff.
Dawson County sits just one game behind the second-place Bears (17-5, 10-3 Region 7-3A), who are taking on North Hall (18-4, 13-0 Region 7-3A) this week. Two more wins over Gilmer this week could clinch a playoff spot for the Tigers.
Dawson County coach Dwayne Sapp, now in his seventh season, can see why outsiders could call them a surprise. But he saw this season as one they had been building toward.
“We’re probably a surprise in the public eye,” Sapp said. “With the region we’re in and the amount of talent that was returning for several of the teams, I doubt many people thought we would be challenging for a playoff spot. But honestly, I felt we would be competitive right from the beginning.
"We had a lot of guys returning as well that got a lot of experience from last year. And we had some really talented younger players that we felt were ready to make an impact.”
The younger players have been prominent on the mound, with sophomore Trey Harvey and freshman Davis Glass joining senior Nick Mullinax atop the rotation. The bulk of the experience, however, is in the lineup with Mullinax and fellow seniors Brandon Cramer, Luke Mulberry, Andrew Burt, Jacob Poss and Ryley Moore leading an offense that is averaging 8.4 runs/game in a pitching-rich region.
But the youngsters also have had their moments at the plate. Sophomore Julian Horner hit a pair of grand slams in a huge win over Cherokee Bluff earlier in the season.
Dawson County still has a three-game series with North Hall next week before closing out the regular against arch-rival Lumpkin County. Sapp said, for now, they’re just focusing on the next game and not trying to see too far down the road.
“We haven’t clinched anything yet so we’re just taking things one game at a time, which I know is cliche but that’s the way we have to do things,” Sapp said. “But we like our position right now. If we pitch well and get timely hitting, we’ll be in every game.”
Regardless of how or when the 2021 season ends, Sapp feels the program is ready to take off.
“The last few years, we were missing a piece or two every season to be a real contender. But right now, I feel really good about where the program is headed,” he said. “We have a really good JV team and a middle school team for the first time. We’re developing players to be a contender for years to come, we hope.”
Sapp also knows that perhaps the one last piece to building lasting confidence is a playoff berth, and perhaps a run in the playoffs.
“Getting into the playoffs is a priority so that we can show the kids they can get there,” Sapp said. “This team, if we can get in the playoffs, I think can be a very dangerous team to play in the playoffs. It could be a lot of fun over the next few weeks.”
