Named for the its more famous namesake in Ireland, the Dublin in Georgia is a small hamlet in between the large cities of Savannah and Atlanta. This town of 17,000 is known primarily for two things that get its citizenship charged up: the month-long St. Patrick’s Day festivities and high school sports. One of the four high schools serving the area is Trinity Christian, a small private school four miles out of downtown with some consistently competitive athletic teams. In 2009, they have a football prospect likely to go pro and their teams in each sport have numerous championships. Their baseball team is the most recent winner of a championship to the delight of their vocal fans.

Coming of a very successful 2007-2008 season in which Trinity Christian Baseball Head Coach Chuck Grooms to his team to win the AA State Championships and brought the team to rank 60th in the state of Georgia, the 2008-2009 team seemed hard pressed to follow that same success. With a full complement of seniors and juniors, Grooms brought them even better results. The Crusaders managed a powerful 7-1 home record while posting a 12-2 league record. They were edged slightly by rivals Milledge Academy who snuck into first place with a 13-1 league record, giving them the GISA 4AAA Title. The Crusaders have twice before won the AA State Championship in their history: in the 1999-2000 season under coach Ken Johnson; and, their first championship in 1988-1989 under coach Gerald Payne.

Michael “Terry” Evans is the only baseball graduate from Trinity Christian to be signed and play baseball in the Major Leagues. After being a standout in high school, Evans went to play for nearby Middle Georgia College for two years before being drafted in the 2007 amateur draft in 2007 by the St. Louis Cardinals. Shortly after the draft, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels, where the outfielder played in eight games for them. He registered one hit–a home run–as a pro in his 11 at bats that season to go with four strike outs and four walks. Though he is officially on the Angels roster for the 2009 season as an outfielder, he has been sent down for now to their affiliate in Salt Lake City. He is averaging a healthy .277 batting average to go with a strong .516 slugging average. With this performance, fans from Dublin may get another chance to see their hometown hero on television again.

Always playing to a full crowd helps fuel the Crusaders perform on their well-maintained baseball field. The warm Dublin afternoon and evenings keep the fans comfortable while the 1530 LED Baseball Scoreboards in the outfield keep spectators informed inning by inning with all the stats. Whether the Crusaders are on their way to another championship or if they are just playing a crosstown rival, the action has kept a generation of fans riveted and excited. The coming seasons should be no exception.