Bulldogs baseball player gold medalist in World Cup for Team USA
Dylan Cupp is a world champ, having lifted Team USA with a walk-off single on Kaito Noda against Japan in the semifinal and then victory over Chinese Taipei, the defending champs.
This was his favorite moment playing for the team, because in that time he knew they were on their way to a title.
“It was something I have dreamed of since I was a child,” he said. “And to come up through the ranks here in Cedartown, the Polk School District, it never left me while I was there, knowing where I was from. I still wanted to represent that part as much as I wanted to represent my country.”
Cupp, a Cedartown Bulldogs senior, played on the 18-and-under team this year for the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. The team won 5-1 to defeat Taipei and earned Team USA’s 10th title. They are just behind Cuba, who have won 11 titles.
Now that he sports a World Title, Cupp is the latest sports hero to come from the hills of Polk County. He was honored by the Board of Education on Tuesday evening during their work and community input session for his role in helping lift Team USA to victory, and the sportsmanship he’s shown on and off the field.
He was among those instrumental in helping form the Challenger League in the Cedartown Recreation Department. He went to the first meeting last November, saw there weren’t many volunteers involved and wanted to get the Bulldogs involved.
“I called Coach Johnson and I said look, I think that it’s important for us to understand that we are the Atlanta Braves for this town. We are what this town has, and for our sport to be out there, I think it should be a “have to” to be here,” he said. “I think it’s very important for us to support those kids.”
WATCH: Full interview with Dylan Cupp
WATCH: Board of Education ceremony honors Dylan Cupp
Cupp, who is already a commit to Mississippi State, is ranked as one of the top players in the United States and plays multiple infield roles.
Coach Gevin Johnson said that he’s got a bright future ahead of him during the board meeting on Tuesday evening.
“Dylan is one of those students that you look up to,” he said. “I can sit here and talk all day about all the great things he’s done, all the great things he’s done for Cedartown and all the great things he’s done for Cedartown baseball.”
In the mock Major League Baseball draft, Cupp’s got the possibility of going in the Top 10 of the first round, at least according to one betting source online.
He’s just one of the latest high-profile baseball talents to come from Polk County. Rockmart pitcher Ty Floyd committed to Louisiana State University and continues to throw for the Tigers on the mound.
