Our guest for this week’s Georgia 4 Questions with the Coach segment is Houston County head baseball coach Matt Hopkins. His team will open the regular season on February 13 at home, and once again, hopes are high for the Bears. They are one of the top teams in our ITG Next Georgia preseason baseball poll, and for good reason: They’ll return 10 key contributors from last season’s team, led by All-State outfielder Drew Burress. He’ll have plenty of support, as Hopkins’ team will be strong in pretty much every area, including pitching.
For more on what to expect from the Bears, here’s our conversation about Houston County baseball with Coach Hopkins.
Q. Well, Coach Hopkins, here we are – the start to the 2023 Houston County baseball season is upon us! I realize every sport generates excitement about the start of season, but there’s just always been that something really special about baseball’s season opener, right?
A. Yeah, there is definitely a different feel about the season opener. I tell people all the time that the season goes through phases: One, you have the initial excitement of a new season; two, the start of region play; and three, the playoff run. But the season opener is always so exciting, because just like the fans, the team and coaches are waiting to see what this year’s team will be. This team has a good buzz around it, so hopefully we can have a big crowd to start things off right.
Q. I’m sure it makes it even more exciting when you have a team loaded with talent like you have with this year’s group. Coach Hopkins, how do you feel this team stacks up with some of your past Houston County baseball squads?
A. Well, we always talk about games are never won on paper, but this group definitely has the makings of a team that matches up with some of our better squads. The three teams that are usually mentioned are the championship teams: ’14 could knock the cover off of the ball one through nine, and pitching did a great job of maximizing what we had; ’16 had three future pro- caliber arms and found ways to manufacture runs; ’21 was a beautiful mixture of the two because we had top-end arms, but could crush the baseball one through nine.
This year we are as deep on the mound as any staff we have ever had, and offensively we have the potential to put up big numbers if some of our returners and newcomers take the next step. I think everyone would agree this group has the potential to be up there as one of the better overall teams we have had. Only time will tell.
Q. Coach Hopkins, break it down for us. I mentioned Drew Burress in the opening comments of this segment, but there are a lot of different guys who will contribute to your Houston County baseball team this year. Can you tell us about some of the ones you’ll really lean on to take you to the top in 6A?
A. We have a small senior class, five to be exact. However, all five are going to have to be big for us. Our pitching staff is anchored by seniors Andrew Dunford (Mercer) and Ryker Chavis (UGA). Both guys have seen a lot and been through pressure situations. We are counting on them to lead our staff and set the pace. Elijah Smith (Western Carolina) and Hunter Chiappetta (uncommitted) are the other two seniors. Both are second-year starters, and we expect them to take the next step both in performance and leadership, especially at the plate.
We have five junior arms that saw action last year as sophomores, and we expect them to have big seasons for us: Carson Small (Region Pitcher of the Year) Brooks Willis, Kai Decker, Camden Cunningham, and Landon Tankersley. They were forced into action a little earlier than had hoped last year, but we have seen great growth from that experience.
Offensively we will be anchored by Drew, but we have the potential to really do damage one through nine. Andrew Dunford will be a four-year starter in the middle of the order along with returning experience from Chiappetta, Smith, Eli Stephens (Mercer) and Kai Decker(Mercer). We have some underclassmen who have really shown flashes early as well.
Q. Looking at your schedule, you face a lot of talented teams, including Mount Paran, Lowndes, and Marist right out of the gate to start the season. You should know a lot about your team pretty quickly. Who are some of the other teams on your schedule that fans will want to know about, and some of the top pitching you guys will face this season?
A. Well, you mentioned the three we play right out of the gate and it will be a test for sure. Mount Paran will arguably be the top or at the top of what we see pitching-wise. Our 15-game region schedule limited some of our non-region games, but we are blessed to be in two of the top tournaments in the country.
In early March we will travel to Hoover, Alabama to play in the PG High School Showdown, which will consist of 48 teams from across the Southeast. It is always great competition and exposure for our guys. We have multiple teams in our bracket currently ranked nationally, so we could face any number of those.
The biggest test will come at the NHSI (National High School Invitational) in Cary, North Carolina. It is an invitation-only tournament at the Team USA baseball facility. They bring in 16 of the top teams from coast to coast. Currently nine of the 16 are ranked in the top 30 nationally. In Game 1 we drew Jserra Catholic out of California, which is the unanimous No. 2-ranked team nationally.
Our region will be improved with the additions of Thomas County Central, Tift County, and Veterans, which should make region that much more interesting with good players on each team and some good arms. Like we tell our guys all the time, I have never seen anyone wear their season record unless it is on a ring. We like to challenge ourselves to force growth.
