Daniel Tefft, a senior first baseman for the Valdosta High Wildcats baseball team, would like this season to be a special one. It will be his last as a Wildcat. Though he will most likely continue his career at the next level, playing your last season in high school is bittersweet. And over the last few years, playing baseball at Valdosta High has been more bitter than sweet. The Wildcats haven’t made the playoffs during Tefft’s career. And that is something he would very much like to change in 2014.
Tefft is a baseball-only specialist who decided early on that he would focus on one sport and one sport only. He grew up in Echols County. He still lives in Echols but attends school in Valdosta, where there was no football. He played baseball and basketball but he knew that once he started attending Valdosta High, his basketball days would be numbered. “I played baseball all year, between the school season and travel ball. There wasn’t a lot of time to do anything else. I just wanted to play baseball,” he says.
With all of his attention focused solely on baseball, he developed into an excellent player. He’s a prototypical first baseman – big, strong, hard-hitting, and left-handed. He’s 6’1” and 210 pounds, hits in the middle of the order, and want
s nothing more than to turn opposing players on their heels. Tefft has good power but he is also a solid contact hitter. He works with the Valdosta High coaching staff as well as a private hitting instructor, John Saxon, in Tallahassee.
His goal is to put the ball in play, pressure the defense, and not try to do too much. As a lefty in the middle of the order, he sees a lot of outside pitches. Like most power guys, he loves to pull the ball. However, he knows his odds of success diminish greatly if he tries to pull the outside pitch. “I try to stay short with the ball and drive that outside pitch the opposite way. Hitting is such a challenge. Baseball is a team sport but there are so many one-on-one moments. Hitting is like that – it’s you against the pitcher. I enjoy the challenge,” he says.
As of press time, Valdosta High’s season had not yet begun. The Wildcats had played one preseason scrimmage but no regular season games. It had been a long offseason – much longer than Tefft would have liked – but the extra time had given Tefft a greater opportunity to practice and work on his 
conditioning. With the season looming, Tefft wanted to hit five to seven home runs (he hit none last year) and help the Wildcats make a playoff run. “I’ve been practicing every day and working out pretty hard. This is the best preseason we’ve had since I’ve been here. I’m excited about the season,” he says. 
Since Tefft has been in middle school, playing baseball in college has been an aspiration. He has had contact with several schools and feels certain he will play at the next level. “It’s always been a goal of mine. I’ve been talking with several colleges. The first schools started contacting me last year. I’d like for it to work out. I want to play baseball for as long as I can,” he says.
With the Valdosta High football team experiencing a resurgence of sorts over the last few years, did Daniel Tefft ever feel the tug to strap on a helmet and shoulder pads? Not really. He knew that by the time he got in the Valdosta school system, the students who were playing football had already been playing for a long time. With no football in Echols County, he was behind the curve by a pretty good bit. “A few people talked to me about it but I just never got into football,” he says.
Favorites:
• Team: Atlanta Braves
• Player: Chipper Jones
• Sport you wish you could play: Basketball
• Superpower: Fly
• Dogs or cats? Dogs
• Place to travel: Alaska or somewhere in the mountains
• Person to meet: Chipper Jones
• What would you do if someone gave you $1 million? “I’d tell my parents first but I’d try to keep it a secret. I’d invest it and use it to help others.”
Player Spotlight/South Georgia/March 2014
Daniel Tefft
Valdosta High School
Valdosta, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Hard-hitting first baseman hopes to finish career with a playoff run
