Staff file photo / Neel Madhavan. Poland senior Katie McDonald throws a pitch against Canfield during their district final last season at Youngstown State.

The Poland Bulldogs are ready to get back to work.

Last season, the Bulldogs finished with a 22-8 overall record and an 11-3 record in the NE-8 Conference, but ultimately saw their season end when they lost to Canfield 4-0 in the district title game.

Poland knows it has a tough season ahead, but the Bulldogs are prepared for any challenge.

“There’s nothing easy there, we put a good schedule in front of them,” Poland head coach Jim Serich said. “We will challenge them to get better every game because once you get to tournament time, it’s one and done. We’re excited about where we’re at, but it’s a long season, and you’ve got to get better as you go.”

The Bulldogs are confident in their ability to compete on a daily basis with their top pitcher, senior Katie McDonald, returning. McDonald led Poland with 20 wins, an earned run average of 2.04, and 176 strikeouts last season.

“She sure makes my job easy,” Serich said. “Katie’s put the hard work in. Nothing has been given to her, it’s all been earned. Having Katie has been a blessing, she’s a lot of fun to be around. She’s always a positive kid, never gets down, never lets anything bother her. If things go sideways a little bit, she just gets back into it.”

Poland is also expecting big things from junior Mary Brant. In her sophomore year, Brant hit six home runs, eight doubles, and had 26 runs batted in. While Brant will help her team score runs, she will play an important role as a team leader as well.

“Mary is the coach on the field,” Serich said. “She anchors that infield. Between her and (Meredith) Trevis, they’re both three-year starters. With one in the outfield and Mary leading that infield, I feel like we’re in really good shape defensively.”

Defense will be the name of the game for the Bulldogs. With McDonald leading the way at pitcher, Poland believes it will be able to limit hitters and keep its opponents’ run totals low. Serich believes that his team’s defense is its biggest strength.

“Our defense is solid,” he said. “I like where we’re at defensively, our infield is as good as I’ve had through my seven years. We’ve got two juniors that play like they’re seniors, and Kylee Hudran at second base is a really good athlete, she’ll be fine at second. And Eliana Thompson, you get blessed when you get a kid who comes in as a freshman like that. Nothing rattles her, she’s got great footwork. She’ll just be part of the whole defensive motto, which is with Katie in the circle, we’re hoping she doesn’t give up more than three runs per game. If you can keep the opponent to three runs or less, you’ll have a chance.”

The Bulldogs are hoping with their strong defense and the leadership of McDonald, they will be able to return to the district title game once again. With the 2023 season set to begin, Poland’s mindset is the same as it has always been.

“(Our message) is the same every year,” Serich said, “Work hard, get better every time you go into the gym or onto the field. Work on something to get better every time we practice. Our goals are always the same, win the league, win the section, win a district, and boy, when you get to regionals, it’s a two game tournament. You want to go to that regional and be at your best at the end of the year, you want to be peaking. If you can get lucky enough to win a district and get to that regional, that’s where you want to be peaking.”

mcole@tribtoday.com