VIDALIA — It was a night to recognize the Vidalia baseball team’s achievements, but it was the speech that Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir made that left a mark on everyone who attended.

Hoffpauir spoke about how there were many ups and downs during the season, but that somehow the baseball team always pulled together and overcame those obstacles.

Hoffpauir also mentioned about his mother dying during the middle of the season, and that he will always remember what the baseball team did after her death.

“Every single one of the players showed up at my mother’s funeral,” Hoffpauir said. “That was something I will never forget.”

Something else that hovered over the team was that a lot of people didn’t give the Viking baseball team a chance after losing seven seniors and moving up to Class 3A in the LHSAA.

Vidalia came back to share the district title with Marksville and earn a No. 17 seed in the playoffs.

“I will always remember this team,” Hoffpauir said. “They were some of the hardest workers I ever had, they never gave up.”

The team also finished with a .357 batting average, a Vidalia record.

During the awards banquet, many players were recognized for their efforts on and off the field.