Thieves steal truck, softball equipment from team

MCDONOUGH, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - McDonough police are searching for criminals who targeted a fancy truck.

These suspects ended up taking something very important to a group of young girls: thousands of dollars in softball equipment. 

Coach Matthew Schroyer said his white Ford F-350 vanished from the parking lot of a McDonough Hampton Inn overnight on Friday.

"At 10 till 6 this morning, I went out and it was gone," he said.

NEW: Click here to support the 'GoFundMe' established by the team. 

If losing the truck wasn't bad enough, nearly $5,000-worth of gear for his girl's softball team was reportedly left inside.

"All my girls' equipment, all of our balls, nets, tees, everything that we use on a weekly basis to prepare for these tournaments, was gone," Schroyer said. "All my daughter's personal equipment, my personal equipment, was gone."

Schroyer says he filed a police report and hopes nearby security cameras may have caught a glimpse of the theft in action.

Two other truck thefts were reported in the same area of McDonough in one night in March.

MORE: Police: Thieves steal 2 Ford trucks in 1 night

The theft moved the team to improvise, borrowing equipment from sister teams and finding creative ways to keep the tournament in play.

Schroyer says this has been a lesson in perserverance for the girls. They won every game they came to play Saturday.

He hopes for a good outcome in the case of his truck as well.