Defending-champion Panthers want to play best ball in May
For the first time in school history, the Cabot Panthers are the defending state champions. Cabot finished the 2017 season at 25-7 and 13-1 in 7A Central play before winning three straight in the Class 7A State Tournament, including a 2-1 win over Springdale Har-Ber in the state-championship game. “When you accomplish something like we accomplished last year, it raises the level of expectations,” Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin said. “Obviously, that is going to happen from the outside, but I would hope, more so, from the inside. I hope that is something that players expect to compete for on a yearly basis.” Goodwin said he wants his team to focus on being the best team it can be. “That’s the most important part,” he said. “I’ve been around this game long enough to know that you’ve obviously got to have a lot of breaks for things to go the way they did for us last year, especially in single-elimination baseball. It seems unfair at times. You can have a great day in the state tournament and lose. For us, it’s a new team, but I expect our players to be ready to compete every day because with what happened last year, we’re going to get everyone’s best every day. We’re expecting that. That just comes with the territory. That is what is going to tell our story — is how we respond to that. “It’s no different than any other year. The thing that I try to teach these guys the most is how you respond is what is most important. Whether it’s the pressure of defending a state title, whether it’s the good calls or bad calls that you may get, or the success or failure that you have, how you respond is going to determine your program in the future.” The Panthers return four starters from last year’s squad, including senior third baseman Dillon Thomas, junior shortstop Kyler Franks and sophomore outfielders Clayton Gray and Houston King. “It’s going to take us some time to figure some things out because it is a new team,” Goodwin said. “I hope the accountability to the way we played last year is starting to become ingrained in this program. You don’t want people to think we’re a one-hit wonder. Now I’m not sitting here saying we’re going to win a state championship every year, or every three years. But at the same time, you hope that what happened last year turns you into a tough out, year in and year out. “I think for the most part, we’ve been a tough out by season’s end every year. We may not have won a conference championship every year, but the one thing I’m most proud about our team and our program is we’re usually a tough out when it comes to playoff time. We find a way to play our best baseball at the right time.” Goodwin said the season is divided into three seasons, the nonconference games, conference games and playoff games. “The goal is to be playing your best in May,” he said. “You’ve just got to make sure you do enough to get to May. Obviously, the better you do in your conference, the easier that road is.” Goodwin said Thomas and King are the team’s best hitters for average. A year ago, Thomas hit .433, and King hit .356. Goodwin said the team’s best potential to hit for power is junior Zach Morris, who is also the team’s top pitching prospect. As a pitcher, Morris was 2-1 in eight appearances with a 3.39 earned-run average. The best fielders, Goodwin said, are Gray, Franks and Thomas. The coach said college prospects include Thomas, Morris, Gray, King, senior Rail Gilliam, Franks and sophomore Austin Scritchfield. Morris has already committed to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Goodwin said that at the beginning of the season, the Panthers will use a variety of lineups in trying to figure out the best combination. “It’s not going to be like last year, when we had that group, most of those starters, for four years,” he said. “There really wasn’t that much coaching last year. It was managing the personalities. We had done so much coaching for three years; those kids last year knew how to play. “Now we’re dealing with some guys who haven’t played before. There’s going to be some growing pains. This team is going to have to learn how to win. I know that sounds weird, but you kind of have to learn to win.” Goodwin said he’s excited for the season. “They are working, and they are focused,” he said. “You can tell that they don’t want to disappoint themselves, the program, after what happened last year. We don’t ever talk about winning a state championship, believe it or not. Our focus is always on being the best we can be. Last year just happened to be good enough. We expect to be tough to beat night in and night out. “You draw a target on your own back by having success.”