ROSWELL, Ga.—The 6-4-3 DP Cougars come into the end of summer at the 18u Summer Showdown with a group of battle-tested players focused on an emphasis of enjoying the process. The Cougars came out on top of their opener in the tournament and first of a two-game set, with a 4-0 win against Team RBI Bruins.

Righthanded starter Zach Morochnik threw three innings of two-hit baseball while striking out three, as he gave the game over to fellow veteran lefthander Nathan Cohen, who shut the Bruins down for the last three innings. Cohen gave up just two hits, with three walks and five strikeouts to seal the win.

“I felt like I was locating my fastball pretty well, the curveball wasn’t really working today, but my changeup helped,” said Morochnik.

The strong performance by the pitching staff was a plus, as it was a quiet offensive day for the Cougars. Catcher Carson Taylor was a bright spot in the lineup, however, as he generated life at the plate in the form of a two RBI single in the second.

“It’s what the pitcher is throwing, and you have to make an adjustment to that,” said Taylor. “I looked left-center to left.”

For Taylor and the rest of the 6-4-3 Cougars, this is one of the last tournaments for both the summer and as a team, with all of them going into their senior year in high school or freshman year in college.

“My first year was last year,” said Taylor. “I moved in from Texas. This has been huge, it has gotten me more looks than I ever asked for.”

The Virginia Tech commit is most looking forward to the opportunity to play “big boy baseball,” while also experiencing life as a student-athlete. The 6-4-3 Cougars have 10 college commits who will be heading to Kennesaw State, University of Chicago, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Tech, Washington and Lee, Wofford, Mercer and two to Virginia.

“I think it preaches to players and the families first, who believe it what we are about,” said head coach Danny Pralgo. “It’s not the 'win at all cost,' it’s the, 'teach it right, do it right, go about it the right way for your fellow teammates and just go about the game of life the right way.'”

With this game plan in mind, the Cougars have found success in both the 17u and 18u Summer Showdowns last summer in the form of championships.

“It’s amazing how many good things can happen when you just stick to that plan,” said Pralgo. “We don’t promise one scholarship or one national title, but in the past few years there’s been a lot of both, so we are very excited to just stick to that plan, and we will live with the result of whatever comes, as long as we stick to the plan of going about it the right way.”

Going into this year’s Summer Showdown, some of the strengths for this team revolve around a selfless attitude and trusting the abilities of others.  

“I think we just play as a team really well and have a great defense, that always helps,” said Morochnik. “So I know I just have to put it in play. When we hit, we are just really good at passing it on to the next guy and getting the job done.”

All of the above is part of the blueprint that has given way to a dynamic group of players.

“It’s just a very unselfish group of guys,” said Pralgo. “They understand the way we practice and train to have them prepared to play more than one position. We do a lot of different things offensively so they are always excited about what is ever asked, and they are ready to do it.”

While sticking to the 6-4-3 way, the team makes it a priority to enjoy the process and the last full summer together as a complete team.

“I think we have more fun than anyone in the country,” said Taylor. “I think it’s just unity [that makes us competitive], it’s kind of like a brotherhood.”

And while there are a couple holdovers from last year’s championship team, including 2017 grads Sean Mootrey, Morochnik and Cohen to lead the way, this group emphasizes the importance of a team-oriented mindset.

“Honestly it is never one person on our teams,” said Pralgo. “We are a family and it’s a team thing. They feed off each other, they always bring great energy in the dugout, we preach doing all the little things right, but we have to have fun inside of the dugout as well. I think these guys truly enjoy showing up to practice and to the games every day, because we make sure they are not only getting after it and playing hard, but they are having a lot of fun while doing it.”

With the combination of an all hands on deck attitude and veteran experience, the 6-4-3 Cougars will continue their five-game set this week focusing on the process, instead of the product, while having some fun along the way.

“It’s just a very unselfish, experienced group of guys,” said Pralgo. “There's usually never a situation we haven’t been in, and they just look forward to the challenge of everyday tough baseball that is always in a PG event.”