Lots of fun, talent at W-H all-star baseball game
- col-aaron-dorksen
- June 21, 2023
- 1069
A few thoughts from the week in sports …
Smiles all the way around.
That’s how I’ll remember the 2023 Wayne-Holmes Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game played at The College of Wooster’s Art Murray Field on June 14.
And, lots of talent on both sides.
The West team coached by Dalton’s Scott Huth defeated the East squad led by Wooster’s Steve Young 5-2. The Bargain Hunter/Wooster Weekly News, Insurance Centre Agency and Letterman’s Trophy Shop were the sponsors.
Three players apiece from Div. III state champion Waynedale and Div. IV champ Hiland helped the West team.
Hawks right-hander Will Schlabach displayed his blazing fastball, which was clocked at 92-93 mph during the state Final Four, en route to earning MVP honors for the West.
Hillsdale’s Daniel Painter greeted Schlabach with a single to left to open the second inning, but Schlabach struck out the next six batters he faced.
“My pitching felt on today for the most part,” said Schlabach, who will pitch for Mount Vernon Nazarene University. “It's fun to come out in a really relaxed environment with new players.”
Dalton’s Jack Steiner was 2 for 3 with a run and RBI for the West and Hiland’s Nolan Yoder ripped a double. Also collecting hits for the West were Dalton’s Justin Basinger, Waynedale’s Dylan Raber and Rittman’s Tyler Leatherman.
The West team had some fun trying out new positions, with Hiland pitching ace Yoder trying the unfamiliar position of catcher with teammate Isaak Yoder on the mound. Yoder threw out an attempted base stealer in the third inning and looked like he’d been a catcher all season.
In addition to the three Hawks, also pitching for the West were Smithville’s Bryce Becker, Steiner and Waynedale’s Connor Gatti.
Gatti pitched for the first time since his freshman year and earned the save with teammate Timmy Short taking a rare turn at catcher. Gatti also drew two walks at the plate, including one when he switched to batting left-handed in a game for the first time since middle school.
“I'm friends with a lot of these guys, so to get to play with them one more time it was pretty exciting,” Gatti said.
Like many of the players in the game, Gatti said he doesn’t plan to play in college so it was a good final memory on a local diamond.
“I’m retiring,” said Gatti, who got the game-winning hit in the 2022 state title game and was 2 for 2 with two walks in the 2023 final. “I’m going to also play in a Northeast Ohio All-Star Game, but then that will be it.”
Huth and Young are sticklers for fundamentals during the season, but pretty much gave the players free reign on this night.
“We told them at the beginning of the game that they could do what they wanted,” said Huth, whose Bulldogs shared the WCAL title with Waynedale and Norwayne and advanced to the Div. IV regionals. “It was their game, their last time.
“It was a lot of fun to come out here with these guys and get to know some of them a little bit.”
Hillsdale’s Jake Hoverstock went 2 for 3 with a run and stolen base and was named East MVP. He also threw a scoreless first inning.
“It was pretty good to be able to play with some different guys,” Hoverstock said. “Although we lost, it was still a pretty good time. It’s good to have fun on the field other than just be straight serious.”
Triway’s Easton Barnard hit a double for the East, while adding singles were teammate Riley Gumber, Painter and Norwayne’s Jake Gill. Pitching for the East in addition to Hoverstock were West Holmes’ Nick Ginsburg, Gill, Barnard, Loudonville’s Boe Weiser, Wooster’s John Foster and Painter.
Young, whose Generals advanced to the regionals for the first time since 1998, told the East team to do as they pleased.
“This was cool,” Young said. “I liked the touch of them wearing their own uniforms.
“I told them before the game. ‘Green light on everything. Whether it’s a 3-0 count or stealing bases, just have fun. Play anywhere in the field.’”
Wooster standouts Blake Bowen and Elisha Steiner, along with Waynedale’s Trey Barkman were unable to play due to prior commitments. Just about everyone else who was asked showed up ready to go and have fun.
Afterward, the teams posed for photos and groups of players said their good-byes. Who knows when some of the players will meet up again as they scatter in many different directions to start the next phases of their lives?
“It was a good experience for these guys, many of whom will never play again,” Young said. “To go out this way, that was pretty cool.”
A special thanks goes out to game director Justin McDowell for putting it all together and letting the Class of 2023 have one more hurrah.
PARTING SHOT – Some longtime area sports fans remember Reggie Minton, or at least know of his accomplishments.
The 82-year-old Minton, a 1963 College of Wooster alum and member of the W Association Hall of Fame, was awarded the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2022 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in Cleveland.
At Wooster, Minton became the storied program’s fourth 1,000-point scorer, finishing his career with 1,002 points. Minton was the head coach at Dartmouth College (1983-84) and the U.S. Air Force Academy (1984-00) and he also contributed greatly as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Here’s something I didn’t know about Minton until recently: His grandson is Will Brennan, who’s a promising young outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians.
In a recent article in The Athletic, Brennan credited his grandpa for helping him with the mental side of the game.
“You want to be the same person every single day,” Brennan told The Athletic. “You don’t want to show up to the field and mope around because you’re not doing well. Nobody cares. The only person who cares is you.”
That’s great advice we could all remember from time to time when the going gets tough.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at Aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.