Week one of the 2026 Georgia Military College Prep (GMCP) baseball season delivered a roller- coaster ride of results.
The Bulldogs made the short trip across town on Feb. 9 to Baldwin County High School, where they beat the Braves 22-1 in just a three-inning game led by senior pitcher Jonas Crager, called short in accordance with GHSA’s mercy rule.
GMC Prep then traveled to Fort Valley last Tuesday to take on the Peach County Trojans, who turned the tables on the Bulldogs with a similar 15-0 win in a four-inning mercy rule decision.
When the Bulldogs were back at home Wednesday night, they rebounded to defeat Crawford County 5-2 behind another terrific performance from starting pitcher Noah Goddard.
The senior pitched all seven innings and struck out nine batters while allowing two runs on just one hit and two walks. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ offense combined for five hits and drove in four runs, with one run walked in to complete the victory.
The Bulldogs dropped their final game of the opening week last Friday at home against Tatnall Square Academy, shut out 15-0 for another mercy rule loss in a four-inning game.
Later, GMCP head coach Kyle Redmond said he wasn’t surprised by the team’s early mixed results.
“I think we started about how I thought we would,” Redmond said. “We’ve beaten the teams that I felt we should have beaten, and we lost to the teams that I knew would be a challenge.”
Redmond attributed the Tatnall loss to a lack of defense from the Bulldogs, citing it as an area they need to improve upon as the season progresses.
Despite senior Ayden Hamm allowing just three earned runs and seven hits against Tatnall, the Bulldogs committed seven errors.
“Hamm pitched well against Tatnall, but our defense let him down,” Redmond stated later. “That’s something we will have to address moving forward. Overall, I like where we’re at. [We] definitely don’t want to peak this early. We still have plenty to work on and get better at.”
Redmond added that he thought Crager, Goddard, and sophomore Riley Marcott each pitched well in their games.
Crager punched out seven Baldwin batters and allowed zero hits in three innings of work, while Marcott allowed three hits through three innings versus Peach County before giving way to relief pitchers Matthew Webster and Hunter Langford.
Despite the lopsided losses, Redmond remains confident his team will make better contact at the plate as the season progresses.
“I expect to see our bats start waking up a little bit. These guys at the top of the lineup are three-year starters, so I don’t worry about if they can hit, but when. They are just too good to go on long cold streaks, so I expect them to get hot here soon.”
GMCP returned to its home field on Tuesday to host the Brentwood Eagles before making a pair of road trips to take on Crawford County on Wednesday evening (past press time) and Mount de Sales on Friday in Macon.
The Bulldogs play at home on Craig Field this Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch scheduled against the Academy for Classical Education (ACE) Gryphons, also out of Macon.