FARMINGTON – The common thought of any coach for any team is to win games, bring home championships and be the best at what they do.
For Tim Dulin, founder and CEO for Dulin’s Dodgers, coming up a game short for playing for the championship in the 2026 Connie Mack World Series, is just another step in a long process for an organization built on foundational success.
Since the year 2000, Dulin has built the model for one of the most successful amateur baseball organizations in the country from the ground up.
Year in and year out, the Dulin’s Dodgers participate in tournaments sitting on a roster full of prospects, almost all of whom will play collegiately if not professionally, and they will contend at the highest level against the best teams from around the country.
Dulin and coach Chris Godwin were each represented by teams this past weekend in semifinal round of the 2026 World Series. Dulin coached the Americans, which played their way to the semifinals before falling short to the Nationals, last year’s CMWS champions.
“Knowing how many teams try to qualify for this event, and then the 12 teams that get here – all these teams are really good, and a representation of some of the best talent in the country,” Dulin said. “And for us to have two teams, you know, in the final four is exciting for me. ”I’m not surprised, because we we do things right, and Chris does a great job in running the organization, and we’ve got some really good players.“
Dulin was a top baseball prospect out of the University of Memphis. After graduating from Briarcrest High School, Dulin became a starter as a freshman and played in 174 games during his collegiate career, breaking records for home runs by a second baseman and for most runs scored in a career with 165.
Dulin was selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America team in 1983 and in 1984. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and played professional baseball for six years.
The Dulins Dodgers program boasts nearly 40 national championships, has created a winning culture with over 700 college commits, nearly 200 draft picks and over 20 big leaguers such as Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts and Atlanta Braves Austin Riley to name a few.
“I’ve had this group since they were 13, and so that that model has worked for us,” said Dulin before the first pitch of the semifinal game. “If you watch how things are changing in the recruiting process, in the portal, we’ve got to make sure our duty as an organization is to make sure we’re giving all the information to the families and the players of what they have to do to be ready for that when it comes.”
Godwin took the Nationals into the championship game for the second year in a row before losing 8-2 to D-Bat, another top baseball program based in the state of Texas.
“These guys are resilient and they’re tough. These will be some tough conversations with a lot of these guys, but I know we’ll be back here again,” Godwin said after the loss in the championship game.
Godwin has over 18 years of coaching experience, surpassing 200 career high school wins and capturing a 2025 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association state championship as head coach at Lakeland Prep.
Godwin’s Nationals team reached the pinnacle last summer, winning the 2025 Connie Mack World Series.
“I think the mark of a good team is a team that can flush that and get back to the to the to the field the next day and get after it, and these guys have done that,” said Godwin. “And they haven’t made it any bigger than it is. A lot of these guys have been here before, won it last year, and so it’s just taking one pitch at a time, competing one pitch at a time, being a really good teammate, and letting the cards fall where they may.”
Beyond the Connie Mack World Series, there will be a short break for players, coaches and staff before the process starts all over again for the upcoming fall campaign, which includes tournaments and showcases across the country.
The most notable stopping point along the way is the 28th annual World Wood Bat Association World Championship, which will be held in October in Jupiter, Florida. The tournament is the top scouting attraction of amateur baseball each year with over 700 MLB scouts and college coaches in attendance.
“We’ll sit down as a staff and go through all of our guys that are in the program, and then guys that we’re looking to hopefully attract to come into the program,” Dulin said. “We’ll have a limited fall schedule, and then culminate in the first week in October. Chris is rolling non-stop with all the other teams that we got from 8-year-olds all the way up to 18s. So, they’ll get a little bit of a break, but not much.”