NATCHEZ — When Dan Smith took over the Natchez High School baseball in 2015, he wanted to instill an environment where discipline and teamwork were staples of his program.

Two years later, mission accomplished.

Smith guided the Bulldogs to an MHSAA Class 5A playoff appearance and fell just one win shy of claiming a Region 3-5A championship.

For his efforts, the Natchez head man has been selected as The Natchez Democrat’s Coach of the Year.

“This is a blessing,” Smith said of being selected. “I’m almost speechless. It’s a statement to the kids and community, because without them this couldn’t have happened … they keep me going.”

Natchez was led by a strong crop of seniors that occupied a number of key positions. Smith said it hit him hard at Natchez’s May 27 graduation just exactly what he’ll be losing.

“This is a senior class to remember,” Smith said. “They laid a great foundation. They’re all telling me they’re going to continue to come back and check on the program and help out the younger kids that are coming up behind them.”

Smith said the success of the Bulldogs could be directly tied to the camaraderie his team established in the months building up to the season.

“They got used to playing together in the Vidalia summer league,” Smith said. “They played together as a unit, and they did everything they could together during the summer. They did everything they could to win as a team, and they always did whatever they had to do to win … I’m going to miss all my big sluggers.”

Smith said despite the loss of a number of key contributors, he still expects the Bulldogs to compete at a high level in the years to come.

“We have a great crop that’s coming up now,” Smith said. “We’ve got some great kids, mainly from fifth grade up. The future is bright for all Natchez High sports. We have a lot of kids playing on traveling teams right now that are getting exposure.”

As for this coming year, Smith said he’s going to rely on a bevy of talented returning starting pitchers, which includes Jordan Hamilton, Shavoké Herrington, Jatavis Melton and Chris Scott.

“We should have a lot of low scoring games,” Smith said. “If we play defense, then we are going to win a lot of those games. I’m looking forward to it, and I’m excited about it.”

Smith said the focus this summer will be on getting his young players up to speed as best as possible in preparation for the upcoming campaign.

“We have to keep working hard this summer,” Smith said. “We’re going to go hard this summer and get in the weight room. We’re going to play a lot of young kids this summer. We’re going to go over the mental part of the game.”