A dynasty in the making?
Hiland Senior Little League team to seek fifth straight State title
By Dave Mast
July 15, 2013
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Four straight years of Senior Little League State championships will do plenty to bolster your confidence.
It will also set up some greater expectations when it comes to winning, and it also provides a great boost of confidence having been there and done that before.
For the 2013 Hiland Senior League team of 15 and 16 year-olds, the goal this summer as the State tournament approaches July 20-25 is the same as it has always been: Go get a State title.
Four in a row, plus two other titles not long before that, has laid a sensational foundation of expectations to a program rife with dedicated players.
We think we have a very good opportunity, said Hiland coach Mike Yoder. Is it expected, I dont know. I just feel if we play good baseball we should be in it, but nothing is guaranteed. You never know what is going to come each year, but if we play the way we are capable of playing, we should be right there.
For most teams, winning the State is a monstrous goal. For Hiland, having won four straight State titles, the name of the game is again winning that Central Regional and making it back to the World Series in Bangor, Maine.
With one Central Region title to their name in 2010, and having qualified for the Final Four there the past three years, Yoder said all of the work they put in is geared toward making lengthy runs in the Senior Little League tournament.
We want to win that Regional, said Yoder. We won it once, and the other three years we were right there in the semifinals, and with a break here or there could have won it. I think we are good enough to win it again, but it all begins here at State.
Yoder said that once the 2010 team went to the World Series, it changed the thought process of all of the players in the program, that experience still much talked about, and so highly sought.
It changed the expectations, said Yoder. As we get closer to the State tournament the anticipation and excitement continues to build.
Having the State tournament at Lehman Field at Hiland High School certainly gives the Hawks a decided advantage. Over the years they have always traveled west to the Dayton area for State, or far south to Lucas, near the river. Being able to host the tournament makes everything easier, and to be able to play where the players are at ease is a plus.
Home cooking is always best, said Yoder. We had some huge crowds here last year for our night games, and it draws a lot of excitement, because people here love baseball and they enjoy supporting our kids.
A great program at the youth baseball level grows into the Junior League level. By the time they reach the Senior League level, all of the players understand what is expected of them, and Yoder said they really practice hard for the two weeks prior to heading into the State tournament, on top of a busy summer schedule that sees them playing great competition against travel teams and much larger schools.
What has also become a deciding factor has been the team chemistry. Hilands spring schedule rolls right into summer, where Coach Yoder and Hiland varsity coach Tom Gibson have made sure that they are on the same page.
The program hasnt missed a beat, with the same fundamentals being taught in summer that the players practice all season in high school.
That relationship with Tom and the high school program is so nice to have, because the kids all know the lingo, they know what is expected of them and they know we will ask them to work hard, said Yoder. We dont have to change anything, and that is a big advantage.
Is a fifth straight title in the future for the Senior League Hawks? By the end of July, that question will be answered, but if all goes according to plan, a trip to Peru, Ill. could very well be in the game plan come August.
