The 2020 Redhawks baseball season tips off Thursday and Friday in the Bulldog Challenge Tournament at McKinney North with the team taking on the Plano Senior Wildcats Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re expecting a good game from Plano,” sophomore Cade McGarrh said. “They are throwing one of there better arms but so are we. They will come out prepared for us since last season we came up on top 1-0, they want revenge and to win. We gotta come out playing strong and do what we do. We’ve prepared for this for six months. Going out there playing to the best of our ability and hoping to come out on top.”

Friday at 11:30 a.m. the boys will face McKinney North at home, followed by a game against Newman Smith with McGarrh believing his team is well prepared for what the Bulldogs will bring to the field.

“This pre-season we really focused on perfecting our craft and lifting in the weight room,” McGarrh said. “Lifting three days a week hard and the off days lifting on our own. Holding each other accountable has been a huge part in preparing for the season. Just really focusing on the end goal of playoffs and then making a run but overall taking it one step at a time, game by game. Pre-season was the time to perfect our game and develop physically and mentally for the season and now that it’s here we’re more ready than ever and our expectations are high.”

The results aren’t the most important thing to head coach Scott McGarrh. 

“I hope to be able to you know, see some kids get some playing time that haven’t got as much playing time,” McGarrh said. “So we can make a decision on who’s the first guy off the bench, or who is gonna in late inning execution defensively.”

With the team’s first District 9-5A game not coming until March 10, McGarrh thinks the culture shift of the team this year is what will help them be successful in district games.

“The tone was set with the work that the older kids have done,” he said. “We have some great kids that are practicing and going to the weight, staying late, kids will come up and hit. We’ve had some kids helping out, taking them to sporting events, and things like that. So I think that started the change we’re going to see this year.”