Sunday Sit Down: Bridgeport Baseball’s Ben McDougal

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - Bridgeport baseball is all about tradition, and a winning one at that.

Tradition is a big factor, we’ve all grown up with a tradition of winning and nowt hat we’re in high school, and even we’ve seen it as we’ve been in high school, it’s a tradition that we don’t want to lose and we want to keep it going,” McDougal said.

With the high school baseball postseason starting Monday, Bridgeport’s Ben McDougal joins the Sunday Sit Down to breakdown the expectations the reigning Class AAA State Champions have this year.

“I think that everyone as a team we’re all excited, all looking forward to putting all the work we’ve put in, into something that actually matters. Our regular season it was just practice games, and now the postseason starting, these games actually count, this is when we have to actually lay everything down on the line,” said McDougal.

The Indians have won seven consecutive state championships, allowing McDougal to see past leadership at the highest level, so that he could step into that role this season, “I was a junior last year, I was a sophomore on the team during the Covid year, but I got to look up to a bunch of great senior especially last year and they almost taught me what I needed to do, what I felt I needed to do for these underclassman to make sure that they are at the point that they need to be by the time that this postseason comes, and I think they’re ready for anything now.”

With the start of Sectionals, it’s a brand new ballgame for all West Virginia teams, and the Indians expect nothing less than winning, “This is go big or go home, it’s Bridgeport baseball, we’re going to go big,” said McDougal.

The senior feels he has been able to develop as a playing and a person through the high standard the team is held to, “Bridgeport baseball I mean, I’ve been through it my entire high school career, and it’s definitely made me, I feel, a stronger and tougher person honestly and I feel more of a leader than when I first came, I feel like when I first came as a freshman I used to get rattled a bunch and I used to get bothered by the little things and now I understand that those things aren’t important you need to just focus on the problem at hand and just make sure you get it completed.”

Coach Shields is a huge part in maintaining the Bridgeport tradition and continuing the expectation, “Coach Shields, he wants us to be tough, and I think that’s toughness and the bulldog mentality almost, you need to, you need to, when you come to play, you need to be here to play, you need to be ready to sacrifice anything for the game, it’s part of Bridgeport tradition, everyone is coming here to win.”

Bridgeport faces off with Preston this Tuesday to start their journey to hopeful eighth consecutive state title.

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