Earlier this week, Social Circle head baseball coach Kevin Dawkins submitted his resignation to the school board.

The sudden departure comes after the Redskins had their best season in program history. They had an overall record of 30-4 and claimed the Region 4-A, Division I title with a 14-1 area record.

On Thursday, Dawkins told The Walton Tribune that he was thankful for the opportunity.

"I just want to thank Social Circle, Mr. [Tim] Armstrong, and coach [Craig] Hargrove for everything that they've done for me over the past years," Dawkins said. "It was not an easy decision, but ultimately, I wanted to spend more time with my family."

Dawkins was hired for the position during the summer of 2019 and helped the Redskins to many successful seasons.

In the past five years, Social Circle won 120 games while only losing 57. In region competition, the Redskins finished in third two times, in second twice and first overall last season.

Not only did Social Circle make the state playoffs every year of Dawkins' tenure, but the team never lost a first-round series. The Redskins advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2021, 2024 and last season, made it to the Elite Eight in 2023 and went all the way to the Final Four in 2022.

With the amount of success the program has seen this decade, Dawkins' abrupt resignation was unexpected. 

There was a meeting with players on the night of May 21 to inform them on the departure. Earlier that day, Dawkins was not present at a collegiate signing for one of the seniors on the team.

The Tribune reached out to Social Circle athletic director Craig Hargrove on the matter, which he declined to comment on. He redirected The Tribune to communications and media manager for Social Circle City Schools Kari Willis who said, "As a district, we do not comment on personnel matters."